NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell for a second day on Thursday as soft results from technology bellwether Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) fed worry about a cutback in business spending, while bank shares fell on fears of another major casualty in the sector.

After shooing away Oracle Corp.'s $6.7-billion takeover bid, business software maker BEA Systems Inc. dug in its heels for a potentially disruptive battle with its largest shareholder, activist investor Carl Icahn.