The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 25,819.65 on Monday with a loss of 206.67 points or -0.79%. The S&P 500 closed at 2,792.81 for a loss of 10.88 points or -0.39%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 7,577.57 for a loss of 17.79 points or -0.23%. The VIX Volatility Index was higher at 14.68 for a gain of 1.11 points or 8.18%.
Monday’s market movers
Stocks closed lower on Monday after a strong start for the month on Friday. Investors were watching U.S. and China trade negotiations, which appear to be progressing toward a deal that could be completed by the end of March. Market uncertainty led to higher demand for Treasuries, which saw prices increase from two-year notes to 30-year bonds.
In the S&P 500, health care and financials led losses. Top detractors on the New York Stock Exchange included Avon Products (AVP, Financial) and CenturyLink (CTL, Financial). Top detractors on the Nasdaq included Atlas Financial Holdings (AFH, Financial) and Intrexon (XON, Financial).
Economic reports affecting market trading included the following:
- Construction spending decreased 0.6% in December after a 0.8% increase in November.
- The Treasury held auctions for three-month bills at a rate of 2.410% and six-month bills at a rate of 2.460%.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led losses:
- UnitedHealth (UNH, Financial) -4.12%
- Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA, Financial) -2.81%
- McDonald's (MCD, Financial) -2.41%
Small-cap stocks
In small caps, the Russell 2000 closed at 1,575.44 for a loss of 14.20 points or -0.89%. The S&P 600 closed at 969.12 for a loss of 9.67 points or -0.99%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 9,938.83 for a loss of 95.98 points or -0.96%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 9,749.56 for a loss of 32.33 points or -0.33%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1,915.93 for a loss of 9.42 points or -0.49%; the S&P 100 at 1,229.43 for a loss of 3.00 points or -0.24%; the Russell 3000 at 1,652.76 for a loss of 7.85 points or -0.47%; the Russell 1000 at 1,549.31 for a loss of 6.83 points or -0.44%; the Wilshire 5000 at 28,963.17 for a loss of 139.42 points or -0.48%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 699.72 for a loss of 2.12 points or -0.30%.
