Stocks fall as oil tops $100 a barrel

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling and oil is rising above $100 a barrel as the violence in Libya intensifies.

Army units loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi struck back at protesters in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, and attacked a mosque outside of the city where many anti-government demonstrators had taken refuge.

The clashes sent oil up to $100.08 a barrel today. Libya is the world’s 15th largest exporter of crude.

Economic news was mixed. The Labor Department said fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week. But orders for long-lasting manufactured goods outside of transportation fell last month by the largest amount in two years.

At the opening, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 28, or 0.2 percent, at 12,078. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is down 3, or 0.2 percent, at 1,304. The Nasdaq composite is down 1 at 2,772.