Another stock market slump snaps S&P 500’s win streak

NEW YORK» Stocks fell broadly Tuesday on Wall Street after another slide in bond yields and a mixed batch of corporate earnings weighed on the market.

The selling pulled every major sector lower, snapping a three-day winning streak for the S&P 500.

Financial sector stocks bore the brunt of the decline as investors reacted to lower yields. Technology stocks, which like banks have tended to lead the market’s gains recently, gave up an early gain.

Home Depot climbed after the home improvement retailer reported earnings that topped Wall Street’s forecasts. But two other big retailers didn’t fare as well. Investors sent Kohl’s and TJX lower after their latest quarterly report cards fell short of analysts’ expectations.

Tuesday’s market slide is the latest twist for stocks, which have been caught in the grips of volatile trading all month as anxious investors alternate between seeking shelter in bonds and pouncing on stocks when prices slump.

“The market is taking a little bit of a breather here,” said Tony Roth, the chief investment officer at Wilmington Trust. “You’re getting just a little bit of consolidation after the rally we’ve had over the last three or four days.”

The S&P 500 fell 23.14 points, or 0.8%, to 2,900.51. The Dow Jones industrial average slid 173.35, or 0.7%, to 25,962.44. The Nasdaq, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, dropped 54.25, or 0.7%, to 7,948.56. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks gave up 10.84 points, or 0.7%, to 1,498.01.

All four indexes are on track to finish this month with losses.

The market has been highly volatile all month as investors try to parse conflicting signals on the U.S. economy and determine whether a recession is on the horizon. A key concern is that the escalating trade conflict between the U.S. and China, the world’s two biggest economies, will hamper growth around the globe.

This month, President Donald Trump announced plans to extend tariffs across virtually all Chinese imports, many of them consumer products that were exempt from earlier rounds of tariffs.

Uncertainty over trade clouded an otherwise strong quarterly report card from Home Depot.The home improvement retailer cut its sales expectations for the year Tuesday, citing declining lumber prices and the potential impacts to the U.S. consumer arising from recently announced tariffs.

That didn’t scare off investors. Home Depot shares jumped 4.4% — the biggest gain in the S&P 500 — as investors focused on the company’s solid quarterly results. Lowe’s rode its rival’s surge, finishing with a 3% gain.

Kohl’s, meanwhile, was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500. The department store operator reported a sharper than expected decline in sales at established locations during the second quarter. The stock lost 6.9%.

Another decline in bond yields also weighed on the market Tuesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.55% from 1.59% late Monday.

When bond yields fall, it pulls down the interest rates that banks pocket on mortgages and other consumer loans. That helped pull financial stocks lower. Bank of America dropped 2%.

Technology stocks — which like banks have tended to lead the market’s gains recently — also fell after briefly turning higher in the middle of the day. Western Digital dropped 1.9%.

Household goods makers and communication services stocks were among the decliners. Energy stocks also fell.