U.S. stocks turned broadly lower in midday trading Thursday as investors became more cautious following a record-setting day for major indexes.
The coronavirus outbreak that originated in China remains a lingering concern as more companies say they'll be affected. The world’s biggest shipper, A.P. Moller Maersk, expects a profit hit in 2020. Air France also expects earnings to suffer and Australia’s Qantas is slashing flights to Asia.
Technology and health care companies led the losses. Microsoft slipped 2.3% and UnitedHealth Group fell 1.8%.
Bond prices rose sharply as investors sought safety, sending yields lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.51% from 1.57%.
Energy companies held up better than most of the market as crude oil prices rose 1%. Real estate companies also held up well.
E-Trade soared after agreeing to be acquired by Morgan Stanley.
KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index fell 0.9% as of 11:41 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 304 points, or 1%, to 29,051. Nasdaq fell 1.3%. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 0.6%.
OVERSEAS: Markets in Asia were mixed. The Shanghai benchmark jumped1.8% after China’s central bank cut interest rates to help ease credit for companies hurt by the virus outbreak. European markets mostly fell.
RICH CRUST: Domino's Pizza jumped 23.5% after the company delivered better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and surprisingly good sales. The company handily beat a key sales measure as it faces increasing competition from food delivery companies like DoorDash.
BIG DEAL: E-Trade surged 24.7% after Morgan Stanley said it will buy the online brokerage firm for $13 billion, one of the biggest deals on Wall Street since the financial crisis. Morgan Stanley fell 3.3%. The deal comes less than a year after a vicious fight for customers resulted in discount brokers like E-Trade slashing or eliminating fees. Rival Charles Schwab is in the process of buying TD Ameritrade.
EARNINGS: Investors continued digesting a steady flow of corporate earnings. Zillow Group jumped 19.9% and Avis Budget Group also soared 19.2%after reporting solid financial results. Online postage provider Stamps.com surged 56.5% after blowing away analysts’ forecasts. ViacomCBS plunged 16.9% and Boston Beer slid 6.6% after reporting disappointing results.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
