U.S. equities finished the first trading session of the week with modest losses, led by the financial sector after Dow member Goldman Sachs and Citigroup offered mixed quarterly results. News on the economic front was light, with an upbeat read on regional manufacturing activity offering little help. Treasury yields were lower and the U.S. dollar was little changed, while crude oil prices and gold lost ground.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 28 points (0.1%) to 26,385, the S&P 500 Index was down 2 points (0.1%) to 2,906, and the NASDAQ Composite declined 8 points (0.1%) to 7,976. In moderate volume, 755 million shares were traded on the NYSE and 1.8 billion shares changed hands on the NASDAQ. WTI crude oil lost $0.49 to $63.40 per barrel and wholesale gasoline was $0.03 lower at $2.01 per gallon. Elsewhere, the Bloomberg gold spot price decreased $2.29 to $1,288.14 per ounce, and the Dollar Index—a comparison of the U.S. dollar to six major world currencies—was unchanged at 96.95.
The Empire Manufacturing Index showed output from the New York region moved further north of the level denoting expansion (a reading above zero) than expected for April. The index rose to 10.1 from March’s unrevised 3.7 level, with the Bloomberg forecast calling for an increase to 8.0.
Treasuries were modestly higher, as the yields on the 2-year and the 10-year notes, along with the 30-year bond, dipped 1 basis point (basis point) to 2.39%, 2.55% and 2.55%, respectively.
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