Post-election stocks surge fades; crude oil prices continue to sink

Stocks in the U.S. NEW slipped Thursday as the ninth consecutive drop in crude oil prices hurt energy companies. U.S. markets were coming off huge gains the day before.

U.S. crude oil has now slumped more than 20 percent since early October, meeting Wall Street’s definition of a “bear market.”

Government fuel stockpiles have steadily expanded, pushing supplies higher, and the U.S. issued waivers to a number of countries that buy oil from Iran. That allows those countries to keep importing Iranian oil despite renewed sanctions against that country.

Most other groups of stocks finished little changed. Banks made the largest gains. The Federal Reserve left interest rates where they are, but suggested that it plans to keep raising rates in response to the strong U.S. economy.

After its steep plunge in October, the S&P had risen for six of the seven days ending on Wednesday. Stocks started sinking last month because investors worried that the Fed was going to raise interest rates to the point that they slowed down economic growth. But John Lynch, chief investment strategist at LPL Research, said he doesn’t think that’s going to happen and that the Fed will stop raising rates in 2019.

“We do not believe they will be as aggressive as many fear,” he said. “We still don’t have anything approaching the wage pressures that have historically scared the Fed.”

The S&P 500 index shed 7.06 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,806.83 after it jumped 2.1 percent Wednesday, the day after Election Day.

The Dow Jones industrial average inched up 10.92 points Thursday to 26,191.22.