Stocks closed lower Monday in a choppy session noticeably light on volume. A lack of economic news – and the fact that the bond market was closed in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day – helped make for a quiet day of trading.
Still, heightened anxiety over central bank tightening, a rising dollar and a dour outlook for the automotive industry made further declines the path of least resistance for equities. Shares in General Motors (GM, -4.0%) and Ford Motor (F, -6.8%) sold off after Wall Street analysts predicted both carmakers would suffer steep earnings declines next year.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The bottom line? U.S. stocks kicked off the week with a fourth straight day of losses. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3% to close at 29,202 while the broader S&P 500 slipped 0.8% to 3,612. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost -1.0% to settle at 10,542.
Other news in the stock market today:
- The small-cap Russell 2000 shed 0.6% to 1,691.
- U.S. crude futures declined 1.9% to $90.87 per barrel.
- Gold futures fell 2.0% to $1,675 an ounce.
- Bitcoin slipped 1.3% to $19,216. (Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day; prices reported here are as of 4 p.m.)
AI's Top Stock Picks
October is supposed to be the "bear market killer," but we've yet to see evidence of the 10th month coming to the rescue in 2022. An uncomfortably robust September jobs report did nothing to dissuade the Federal Reserve from sticking to its hawkish stance on inflation. And just when consumers were starting to see some relief from rising energy prices, OPEC and its allies decided to slash production of crude oil. Although the move creates opportunities for investors in some of the best oil stocks, it was decidedly bad news on both a personal finance and macroeconomic level.
With the market off to one of its worst starts in history, it's clear that do-it-yourself investors need all the help they can get. Happily, a stock-picking platform driven by artificial intelligence has been sharp in the past – and it's open to retail investors. Danelfin's AI system not only identifies stocks with the highest probability of beating the market over the next 30 to 90 trading days, it also selects for names with the lowest risk profiles. Read on to learn about the fintech's top stock picks for Q4.
-
The Most Tax-Friendly State for Retirement in 2025: Here It IsRetirement Tax How do you retire ‘tax-free’? This state doesn’t tax retirement income, has a low median property tax bill, and even offers savings on gas. Are you ready for a move?
-
Plan for Higher Health Care Costs in 2026: Projected Medicare Part B and Part D PremiumsIn 2026, Medicare participants will pay more for their health care. Part B costs are expected to rise more than 10%. Here's what you can do.
-
Dow Dives 542 Points on Soft Jobs Data: Stock Market TodayThe last day of a busy week ends with the first greater-than-1% move in either direction in more than a month.
-
Stocks Can't Hold Meta, Microsoft Gains: Stock Market TodayThe main indexes all opened higher Thursday on impressive Big Tech earnings, but momentum faded into the close.
-
How to Invest for a Fall Interest Rate Cut by the FedA lot can happen between now and then, but the probability the Fed cuts interest rates in September is back above 80%.
-
Stocks Are Up and Down on Fed Day: Stock Market TodayIn another sign of changing times, JPMorgan has partnered with Coinbase to enable cryptocurrency purchases with credit cards.
-
UnitedHealth Stock Drags on Dow: Stock Market TodayCorporate earnings have dominated Wall Street's attention this week, but that changes on Wednesday.
-
Stocks Close Mixed to Start Fed Week: Stock Market TodayNews of an EU-U.S. trade deal was met with muted reaction from market participants who are looking ahead to a jam-packed week.
-
Stocks Rise After Trump-Powell Fed Tour: Stock Market TodayNvidia hit a new all-time high intraday, but another renowned semiconductor name and some less iconic stocks were bigger movers Friday.
-
Are Buffett and Berkshire About to Bail on Kraft Heinz Stock?Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway own a lot of Kraft Heinz stock, so what happens when they decide to sell KHC?
