diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
index 8b8ffa5512..5216e1522c 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
@@ -132,15 +132,17 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
                                 return
                             else:
                                 fixture_count += 1
+                                objects_in_fixture = 0
                                 if verbosity > 0:
                                     print "Installing %s fixture '%s' from %s." % \
                                         (format, fixture_name, humanize(fixture_dir))
                                 try:
                                     objects = serializers.deserialize(format, fixture)
                                     for obj in objects:
-                                        object_count += 1
+                                        objects_in_fixture += 1
                                         models.add(obj.object.__class__)
                                         obj.save()
+                                    object_count += objects_in_fixture
                                     label_found = True
                                 except (SystemExit, KeyboardInterrupt):
                                     raise
@@ -158,6 +160,17 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
                                                  (full_path, traceback.format_exc())))
                                     return
                                 fixture.close()
+                                
+                                # If the fixture we loaded contains 0 objects, assume that an
+                                # error was encountered during fixture loading.
+                                if objects_in_fixture == 0:
+                                    sys.stderr.write(
+                                        self.style.ERROR("No fixture data found for '%s'. (File format may be invalid.)" %
+                                            (fixture_name)))
+                                    transaction.rollback()
+                                    transaction.leave_transaction_management()
+                                    return
+                                
                         except Exception, e:
                             if verbosity > 1:
                                 print "No %s fixture '%s' in %s." % \