Stocks finish mixed after sharp early drop

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks shrugged off early losses and wound up with a mixed finish Monday. Household goods companies took some of the worst losses as the S&P 500 index fell for the third time in four days.

The S&P 500 dropped as much as 22 points early on. Consumer products and packaged foods companies stumbled, and drugmakers and distributors fell, as did health insurers. That came after indexes in Europe and Asia fell. German stocks took steep losses as investors wondered if a dispute over migrants could eventually threaten the German government.

But stocks gradually recovered most of their losses as energy companies rose along with oil prices and technology companies managed to make some gains as well. Smaller and more U.S.-focused companies climbed higher. That continued a pattern that has persisted for more than three months.

It's been a turbulent few months for stocks, but the benchmark S&P 500 is a bit higher than it was when international trade tensions started to weigh on the market in late February. Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management, said it's a good sign that some sectors that have struggled are now doing better.

“It's indicative of a market that's unconvinced that a trade war will develop,” he said. Still, he said the next month of trading could be choppy as investors analyze the latest trade developments and wait for companies to start reporting their second-quarter results in mid-July.

The S&P 500 fell 5.79 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,773.87. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 103.01 points, or 0.4 percent, to 24,987.47. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.65 points to 7,747.03.

The Russell 2000 index rose 8.55 points, or 0.5 percent, to a record 1,692.46. Many investors feel the smaller and more U.S.-focused companies in that index are less vulnerable in the event that a major trade dispute slows growth in the global economy. Most of the companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange closed higher.

Volkswagen slumped after German authorities detained Rupert Stadler, the CEO of its Audi division, in an extension of the emissions scandal that has rocked Volkswagen since 2015. That scandal has led to billions in fines, the arrest of executives and the indictment in the U.S. of its former CEO. Volkswagen stock fell 3.1 percent in Germany.

Oil futures rose as investors wait for an OPEC meeting later this week. Benchmark U.S. crude added 1.2 percent to $65.85 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, climbed 2.6 percent to $75.34 a barrel in London.

Chevron gained 1.6 percent to $125.97, and ConocoPhillips rose 1.9 percent to $66.60.

Wholesale gasoline rose 1.6 percent to $2.05 a gallon. Heating oil gained 2.1 percent to $2.13 a gallon. Natural gas fell 2.3 percent to $2.95 per 1,000 cubic feet.