FINANCIAL MARKETS
NEW YORK—U.S. stock indexes slipped again Monday as technology companies, which were near record highs last week, suffered a second day of sharp losses. Investors are changing course and selling some of the best-performing stocks of the year while buying companies that have struggled. Technology companies have surged in recent months, and on Monday almost all of the losses came from the big companies that have led the way recently: Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Stocks fell hard in early trading, but gradually recovered part of their losses as the day went on. Investors took a new look at some groups of companies that haven’t done that well in 2017, including energy, telecommunications and real estate companies. Some of the best-performing stocks fell, including consumer-focused companies, health care companies, utilities and basic materials makers. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dipped 2.38 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,429.39. The Dow Jones industrial average, which closed at a record high Friday, lost 36.30 points, or 0.2 percent, to 21,235.67. The Nasdaq composite dropped 32.45 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,175.46. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks slid 2.50 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,419.21.
Apple shed $3.66, or 2.5 percent, to $145.32 while Alphabet lost $8.31 to $961.81. Facebook fell $1.16 to $148.44 while Microsoft sank 54 cents to $69.78. Other 2017 top performers like Activision Blizzard, Netflix and Skyworks Solutions also tumbled. Technology stocks have done far better than the rest of the market this year and were close to all-time highs before Friday’s drop. The technology component of the S&P 500 index shed 2.7 percent Friday, which erased a month’s worth of gains. Benchmark U.S. crude added 25 cents to $46.08 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 14 cents to $48.29 a barrel in London. Among energy companies, Exxon Mobil rose 80 cents, or 1 percent, to $82.93 and Chevron picked up $1.64, or 1.5 percent, to $108.04. Energy companies are down 12 percent this year and phone companies have fallen almost 9 percent, but both climbed Monday as investors bought stocks that have struggled this year. Verizon added 47 cents, or 1 percent, to $47.19. Real estate companies have lagged the market this year, and they rose as well. The Federal Reserve will meet Tuesday and Wednesday, and investors expect the central bank to raise interest rates for the third time since December.
In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline dipped 1 cent to $1.49 a gallon. Heating oil lost less than 1 cent to $1.43 a gallon. Natural gas fell 2 cents to $3.02 per 1,000 cubic feet.