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Stocks End Chaotic Day Mixed

Blue Chips Slide As Exxon Surges, GM Spins Out

A chaotic day on Wall Street finished with blue-chip and technology stocks lower and the broader market slightly higher as investors struggled to discern the economic impact of hurricane Katrina amid reports of anarchy on the streets of New Orleans.

Oil prices were volatile, jumping and diving to the latest news out of the Gulf Coast, adding to the gyration in the equities market on the first day of September, typically a tough month for stocks.