NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks fell sharply in early trading Monday as concerns about the European debt crisis took the edge off a strong weekend of holiday sales.

Yahoo! Inc., the most-visited U.S. Web portal, predicted sales that fell short of analysts' estimates after the close yesterday.

Consider the aftermath of the 1987 crash: IPO volume fell two-thirds in 1988, and the fresh offerings such as Dell Inc. did 10.5% better on average over the ensuing three years than did older stocks.