After posting back-to-back weekly rallies in the wake of October’s tumble, U.S. stocks found renewed pressure. The markets contended with resurfaced tech uneasiness, a continued rally in the U.S. dollar, crude oil’s sustained plunge, exacerbated European political turmoil, persistent trade worries and Fed uncertainty. Gold saw some pressure and the bond markets were closed for Veteran’s Day.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped 602 points (2.3%) to 25,387, the S&P 500 Index fell 55 points (2.0%) to 2,726, and the NASDAQ Composite plunged 206 points (2.8%) to 7,201. In moderate volume, 856 million shares were traded on the NYSE and 2.3 billion shares changed hands on the NASDAQ. WTI crude oil declined $0.26 to $59.93 per barrel and wholesale gasoline was $0.02 higher at $1.64 per gallon. Elsewhere, the Bloomberg gold spot price traded $8.36 lower to $1,201.29 per ounce, and the Dollar Index—a comparison of the U.S. dollar to six major world currencies—rallied 0.6% at 97.55. 97.55.
Dow member Apple (AAPL $194) fell to weigh on the tech sector after Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE $39), which supplies technology for face-recognition functionality in the iPhone, decisively lowered its Q2 guidance. LITE said it received a request from one of its largest customers to materially reduce shipments to it for previously placed orders that were originally scheduled for delivery during the quarter. The guidance from LITE followed Apple’s earnings report two weeks ago that appeared to foster concerns regarding slowing iPhone demand and overshadowed Alibaba (BABA $143) upbeat report that Apple was the top-selling mobile phone brand during Singles Day—an annual Chinese retail event where thousands of brands put massive discounts on their products for 24 hours—surpassing its Chinese rivals. Specific figures on the number of units sold were not released. Alibaba shares traded lower.
Dow component Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS $206) dropped after Malaysia’s Finance Minister said the country is seeking a full refund of the fees—$600 million per Bloomberg—paid to the company for deals with the Malaysian state investment fund, known as 1MDB. The state fund has been roiled in scandal that saw a former Goldman investment banker plead guilty to participating in a scheme that alleged a Malaysian financier stole billions of dollars from the fund and using some to pay bribes.
General Electric Company (GE $8) dropped after new CEO Larry Culp told CNBC that he feels the “urgency” to reduce the company’s leverage, possibly through asset sales. He stressed that the company would not rush through the deleveraging process in comments that the market may be viewing as cautious.
Treasuries markets were closed today in observance of Veteran’s Day, with the yields on the 2-year note, 10-year note and the 30-year bond standing at 2.92%, 3.18% and 3.38%, respectively.
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