Stocks Flat After Strong April

Stocks began the month without much fanfare this morning, with the major indexes little changed in early trading, the Wall Street Journal reports. Earnings were generally negative, with MasterCard down 5% after profit fell 18%, and Hartford Financial Services plunging 14% after reporting a $1.21 billion loss. Last month was a great one for stocks, with the Dow up 7.4%, and the Dow World Index up 12%. (More stock market stories.)