Asian stock markets dropped in early trade Friday as signs the U.S. housing market was still suffering reinforced concerns about a weak recovery in the world’s largest economy.

Hewlett-Packard Co predicted that overall IT spending would bounce back next year, but set a fiscal 2010 revenue forecast that came in just below Wall Street’s expectations.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said on Thursday its profit dropped and gave an outlook that fell short of analyst forecasts heading into the holiday shopping season, sending its shares down almost 10 percent.

Home resales dipped unexpectedly last month, falling 2.7 percent from a month earlier, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, reversing steady monthly gains since April.

The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:

Consumer products maker Church & Dwight Co. said it settled a patent dispute over pregnancy test kits with Abbott Laboratories and SurModics Inc., according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.

Even though oil prices tumbled, most airline shares fell Thursday as the broader stock market also declined. Benchmark crude for November delivery dropped 4.4 percent, or $3.08, to settle at $65.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

MONDAY, Sept. 28 WASHINGTON — Treasury auction. TUESDAY, Sept. 29 NEW YORK — Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller releases its July index of home prices, 9 a.m.; Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index, 10 a.m.

Major business events and economic events scheduled for Friday: WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases durable goods for August, 8:30 a.m.

Shares of Copart Inc., a junk-car-auction company, tumbled more than 14 percent on Thursday following weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.