A strong earnings season was not enough to save the markets from a down day of trading Tuesday, another sell off in what's been a pretty depressing year so far for stock markets. The Dow Jones closed down around 420 points, and was down as much as 600 during the day. The Nasdaq was down more than 120 points, and the S&P 500 fell 35 points. Art Hogan, the chief market strategist for B. Riley FBR, said in an interview with Cheddar that this market downturn is the exact opposite of what investors might expect after a series of strong first-quarter earnings reports. He said something else is weighing down the Dow. "I think it all predicates itself around fears of bad trade policy," said Hogan. In the fourth quarter of last year, chief executives were excited about the potential of tax reform, but that optimism has shifted, he said. Now, in their earnings calls, executives are expressing concern about trade policy, tariffs, higher input costs, and commodity prices going even higher. Those changes could affect earnings beyond this quarter, Hogan said. "While the earnings are spectacular ー they are nothing short of spectacular in the earnings reports themselves ー the tone of the conference calls has changed," said Hogan. "And the market is getting to a point where we are concerned what we are doing about trade policy." When it comes to advice on what to do now, Hogan said to stay cyclical and, in a rising interest rate environment, avoid high dividend yield sectors like utilities and telecoms. For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/markets-close-down-over-400-points).

Share:
More In Business
The Day Ahead: Bank Earnings, March Retail Sales
Cheddar News takes a look at The Day Ahead as a slate of earnings is due to be reported from some of the country's biggest banks, including JPMorgan, PNC, Wells Fargo and Citigroup. March retail sales are also on tap to be released.
Oatly Executive Discusses Company's Sustainability Efforts
Cheddar News is highlighting companies with a focus on sustainability for Earth Month. Ashley Allen, chief sustainability officer with Oatly, joined Cheddar News to discuss her company's mission to deliver products that have a minimal environmental impact. "We want to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet's resources," she said.
Some Iconic Cars Getting a Modern Upgrade
Some well-known iconic and historic cars are getting a modern twist this year. Cheddar News' Michelle Castillo checked in with some high-profile car executives to discuss the upgrades to some of the cars folks have loved for decades.
Load More