| From allheadlinenews.com: A 3 percent sell-off in crude oil failed to spark any kind of sustained rally in the markets as all three major indices finished modestly lower on Monday. The commodity finished the session down $3.69 a barrel, settling at $121.41 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The energy sector followed suit, falling 4.9 percent. The materials sector was also weak, losing 4.2 percent; Freeport-McMoran was the largest laggard, down 12 percent to $80.35.
The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 42 points or 0.37 percent as Exxon Mobil and Alcoa weighed on the index, both down more than 3 percent. The S&P 500 shed 11 points or 0.9 percent as only three of 10 major economic sectors posted a gain. Healthcare and consumer staples led the way, up 1.3 percent and 1.2 percent respectively. The healthcare stocks were sparked by a positive quarterly earnings report from Humana Inc...... Full Article: Source |