Investors brace for shocks after surprise 2016 run

Indexes down: Dow 0.28 pc, S&P 0.47 pc, Nasdaq 0.94 pc

Chicago. ‘‘So we might see a weaker open to the year as investors take some of those gains that they have waited to do.”

Trump takes office on Jan 20, so investors will begin to assess how easily the new administration will be able to fulfil its reflationary policies that were anticipated in the wake of the election and that helped drive the end-of-year rally.

“There was a tinge more enthusiasm not only because Trump won, and that is perceived as less headwinds for business, but also because the Republicans were able to hold onto the Senate, which was unexpected,” said Scott Wren, Senior Global Equity Strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute in St Louis.

“But it’s not like all these deals are rubber-stamp deals. They are going to have to be refined, debated, you don’t know what the magnitude is, and they have to be implemented.”

US stocks pulled back on the last trading day of the year on Friday, led down by Apple and other big tech stocks, but major indexes were still poised to post solid gains for 2016.

In subdued holiday trading, the S&P 500 was on pace for its third consecutive session of losses.

But the benchmark index was still on track for an annual gain of more than 9 per cent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has climbed more than 13 per cent for 2016, but was also on pace to post its first weekly decline since the US election on November 8.

Stocks have stalled this week after surging in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election.

Investors have bet Trump will cut taxes and regulations and introduce fresh economic stimulus.

“It’s been such a significant run-up that there’s been a pause,” said Bucky Hellwig, Senior Vice President at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama. ‘‘We are to the point now where there’s uncertainty with regard to what policies are implemented, when are they implemented and how are they going to affect the economy as a whole and industries specifically.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 55.22 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 19,764.56, the S&P 500 lost 10.5 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 2,238.76 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 51.17 points, or 0.94 per cent, to 5,380.92.

The Dow slipped further from the 20,000 milestone, after coming within 13 points of the mark but not yet breaching it. Apple shares fell 0.9 per cent after a report that the company will trim iPhone production.

The stock was one of the biggest drags on major indexes, while shares of Apple suppliers such as Cirrus Logic and Qualcomm also were lower.

Tech was the worst-performing major S&P sector, falling 1 per cent.

Big tech companies such as Microsoft and Alphabet slumped more than 1 per cent. Investors are wary that the market could be primed for a spill to start 2017, after the S&P 500 posted a surprisingly strong gain in 2016.