U.S. stocks tumbled in the final hour of trading after analyst Dick Bove downgraded Wells Fargo & Co., erasing an earlier rally spurred by better-than-estimated results at Morgan Stanley and Yahoo! Inc.

Wells Fargo, the largest U.S. home lender this year, slid 5.1 percent after Bove of Rochdale Securities cut the shares to �sell� and said earnings were boosted by mortgage-servicing fees rather than improving business trends. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world�s largest retailer, tumbled 2.1 percent after saying it expects a �tough� holiday shopping season. The Standard & Poor�s 500 Index reversed a 0.9 percent advance as nine of 10 industry groups retreated, led by financials.

The S&P 500 lost 0.9 percent to 1,081.4 at 4:07 p.m. in New York after earlier climbing above its highest closing level in a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 92.12 points, or 0.9 percent, to 9,949.36. About three stocks declined for each that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Bloomberg.com)