U.S. stock indexes fell Tuesday as July retail sales declined, another sign the economy may be slowing a bit in the face of a COVID resurgence.
The Dow Jones Industrials tumbled 244.54 points from Monday’s all-time record to 35,380.86.
The S&P 500 dumped 24.62 points to 4,455.09,
The NASDAQ slipped 111.34 points to 14,682.43.
Home Depot fell more than 4% after reporting second-quarter results, weighing on the Dow. While quarterly earnings topped estimates, same-store sales rose 4.5% in the period, below the 5% consensus estimate of analysts polled by StreetAccount. U.S. same store sales increased by just 3.4%.
Walmart shares inched higher after second-quarter earnings topped estimates. The retailer gained ground in groceries and reported a strong start to the back-to-school season.
Elsewhere, technology names trended lower. Facebook shares retreated about 1% and Nvidia shares declined more than 2%.
Meanwhile, healthcare shares saw some strength with United Health, Merck and Johnson & Johnson trading in the green.
Retail sales declined 1.1% in July, a steeper drop than the 0.3% dip expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones. The Census Bureau revised June’s reading to a 0.7% jump.
Prices for 10-Year Treasurys gained ground, lowering yields to 1.25% from Monday’s 1.27%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices lost 99 cents to $67.45 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices prospered $10.70 to $1,788.90 U.S. an ounce.