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NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Citigroup Inc. declined the most during the fourth quarter compared to other stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average, hurt by continued turmoil in the credit markets. On Monday, the blue chip index of 30 stocks declined 101.05 points to end at 13,264.82, and lost 3.8 percent during the past 13 weeks. For the 13 weeks ending Dec. 31, shares of Citigroup lost 37.2 percent amid an ongoing credit crisis. Last week, several Goldman Sachs analysts warned that Citigroup may have to cut its dividend by 40 percent and write off as much as $18.7 billion in the fourth quarter. Shares of Citigroup hit a 52-week low of $28.80 during the session but edged up 15 cents to close at $29.44 on Monday. Meanwhile, General Motors Corp. declined 41 cents to end at $24.89 on Monday, but shed 31.1 percent during the past 13 weeks. Earlier this month, the biggest automaker by U.S. sales said its sales dropped 11 percent for November, partly because of soft demand for trucks. Elsewhere, a deteriorating housing market crimped home renovations and shares of Home Depot Inc., which declined 17.8 percent during the period. On Monday, shares of Home Depot rose 26 cents to finish at $26.94. On the rising side, shares of Microsoft rose 22.6 percent during the past 13 weeks, during which time it bought a United Kingdom online mapping company to enhance its existing Windows Live Web-based services. On Monday, shares of Microsoft lost 52 cents to end at $35.60. Meanwhile, Merck & Co.'s stock advanced 13.6 percent during the period, following news that it will seek regulatory approval for new cholesterol and obesity drugs in 2008. Merck also agreed to settle up to 50,000 Vioxx lawsuits for $4.85 billion. Shares of Merck lost 60 cents to close at $58.11 on Monday. And Wal-Mart Stores Inc. advanced 10.1 percent during the last 13 weeks. Earlier this month, the world's largest retailer said November sales at U.S. stores open at least a year rose 1.5 percent, excluding the impact of fuel. That topped Wall Street expectations for a 1.2 percent increase. Same-store sales is a key indicator of retailer performance since it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones. Shares of Wal-Mart declined 55 cents to close at $47.53 on Monday.
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