The Dow Jones industrial average fell 61.12 points, or 0.5 percent, to 11,511.08. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 127.04 points, or 3.1 percent, to 3,922.63. The point drop was the fifth worst ever. Both Seattle-area stocks are members of the Dow industrials. Primus' software assists Internet customers.
Pathways makes products for financial processing and related applications.
Optimists are lining up after three years of sharp downturns. The Bellevue company signed two new agreements with Microsoft, for which it makes CE operating-system software. The leasing finance company said it lost a major customer and it may have to sell the company. Several big gainers late in 1999 fell back today. Some investors engage in a year-end strategy in which certain stocks are run higher, then sold early in the new year.