Earnings Send Stocks South

Stocks slid at the open this morning, after a rash of less-than-inspiring earnings reports from major companies. The Dow was down 30 points, as components Coca-Cola, Caterpillar, Dupont, and Merck all posted lousy first quarters. Caterpillar swung to a loss and slashed guidance, sending shares down 5%, while Dupont fell 3.5% after earnings fell 59%. The Nasdaq and S&P, meanwhile, were down 0.3% and 0.5% respectively. (More stock market stories.)