1. Although the broad market averages are basically flat this year, the Nasdaq Composite, where individual investors have placed many of their bets, has been hammered. 2. Although Robert Mondavi brands are growing at about double the market average reported by A.C. Nielsen, not all signs are positive. 3. An afternoon selloff pulled stock prices down from early gains and left the main market averages slightly lower at the close Tuesday. 4. Analysts had been expecting a correction in the market averages, which had risen almost without pause since early October. 5. And this year, although market averages are generally little changed, extreme price moves have savage some stocks and some funds. 6. As a result, many investors have abandoned managed funds and shifted to index funds, which are designed to track the performance of various market averages. 7. As it grew, it stopped beating the market averages. 8. As the handful of popular companies that are still moving up gets smaller, it grows less likely that these stocks can hold up the market averages. 9. Bay Area stocks made strong gains during the second quarter of this year, but their performance lagged far behind the leading market averages. 10. Big technology stocks and Internet issues led market averages lower. |