By Damian J. Troise
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.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
