Wall Street sags again

Share prices fell again on Wall Street overnight, but US growth figures- due out later this week – might offer some relief.

The Dow Jones industrial index fell 145.99 points to 12,479.63.

The S&P 500 also fell, losing 18.42 points to close at 1,375.93.

And the tech heavy NADAQ composite index fell 19.91 points to 2,444.67.

However oil futures rose slightly, adding 76US cents a barrel, to $US132.95.

Some analysts, though, believe that US growth figures, due out Friday, Australian time, will be better than expected.

The first estimates put the likely growth in US gross domestic product in the first three months of this year at 0.6 per cent.

However, there are now predictions that it might be as high as 0.9 per cent.

Even that news, though, has been treated with some scepticism.

Analysts noted that consumer confidence in the US is still very low

And one said that could drag down US consumer spending, which has shown some resilience, so far.

Still, the new GDP figures are providing perhaps the one slim hope of any bounce in US share prices, in the immediate future.