Stocks pull back from record highs in early US trading
Stocks were broadly lower in morning trading on Monday, easing off of more record highs from last week
NEW YORK — Stocks were broadly lower in morning trading on Monday, easing off of their latest record highs from last week.
Most of investors’ attention will turn to company earnings, as the busiest time for quarterly results will be this week and next.
The S&P 500 index was down 0.5% as of 11:36 a.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 144 points, or 0.4% to 34,056 and the Nasdaq fell 1.1%.
Technology stocks were the biggest weight on the market, but the losses were shared broadly by a mix of banks, energy companies and others that rely on direct consumer spending. Chipmaker Intel fell 1.9%, Capital One fell 1.2% and Valero fell 2.6%.
Tesla fell 3.5% for one of the biggest drops in the S&P 500 after two people were killed in Texas in a crash of one of its models. Authorities say there was no one in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash. It’s not clear whether the car’s driver-assist system was being used.
Earnings are front and center this week, as investors look to justify the recent rise in stock prices with the profits needed to keep the market fueled in this recovery. On average analysts are expecting profits across the S&P 500 to be up 24% from a year earlier, according to FactSet.
Eighty one out of the 500 members of the S&P 500 will report this week, as well as 10 out the 30 members of the Dow, including Johnson & Johnson, Verizon Communications and Intel.
Coca-Cola rose 1% after beating Wall Street’s first-quarter profit forecasts and giving investors an encouraging update on improving sales. Harley-Davidson jumped 11.9% after handily beating analysts’ profit forecasts.
The bond market was relatively stable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.59% from 1.57% late Friday. Outside of earnings, a good amount of investor attention is focused on the bond market as government stimulus and the recovering economy have led to concerns about inflation.
Peloton fell 9.5% after regulators issued a safety notice over the exercise equipment company’s new treadmill. The company hasn’t been forced to recall the treadmill, and it’s fighting the issue.
