Shares End Lower As America Votes

　　11月2日，美国股市先涨后跌，其主要原因是受总统选举进展状况左右。尾盘时有传言称，初步统计显示约翰·克里(John Kerry)得票领先，纳斯达克综合指数几乎完全丧失了今日所获涨幅。

Leading US shares finished in negative territory on Tuesday as what looked set to be one of the tightest presidential elections ever took place. The Dow Jones share index settled 0.19% lower at 10,036, after surrendering earlier strong gains. The dip reflected fears that the poll result would be ambiguous , paving the way for a repeat of the legal wrangling that marred the 2000 election. Analysts say shares would come under pressure if there were no clear winner. "A lot of investors are sitting on their hands waiting for [the] election to take place, and hoping that we can get a resolution on Wednesday or Thursday," Sam Stovall, chief market strategist at Standard & Poor's said. The Dow lost 5% of its value in the three weeks immediately after the 2000 election, when it was unclear who would occupy the White House. Disputes over whether either candidate had won a majority of the votes cast in Florida meant that the outcome of that election was eventually decided in the courts. Successive polls in the run-up to Tuesday's election showed President George W Bush and Democrat challenger John Kerry running neck and neck . US television stations will begin conducting the first exit polls after 0000 GMT, when voting booths will begin to close. Elsewhere on the financial markets, the dollar was up against the euro and little changed against the yen, while the Nasdaq index of technology stocks closed up 0.25% at 1,985. US crude oil prices fell 51 cents to $49.62 a barrel on news that production in the Gulf of Mexico was recovering from widespread hurricane damage in September. Economic issues are expected to play a key role in influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election. In key swing states such as Ohio and Michigan, which have seen substantial job losses in the past four years, voters' views on the state of the economy may prove to be the deciding factor. Senator Kerry has attacked President Bush's economic record, hammering home the fact that a net 800,000 jobs have been lost since he took office. President Bush has focused on the fact that two million jobs have been created in the past year, claiming that it has vindicated his tax-cutting agenda. As for future policies, both candidates have pledged to bring America's $422bn federal budget deficit under control. Senator Kerry is planning to increase taxes on those earning more than $200,000 a year. President Bush has placed reform of the pensions system at the heart of his economic agenda for a second term. However, economists have said both candidates' economic programmes rest on questionable assumptions about future growth.