Stocks fell on Wall Street Tuesday following a pair of weaker-than-expected economic reports.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite lost a similar amount.
The reports on job openings and factory orders may have reinforced forecasts that a recession could hit the economy. They could have a potential upside for markets if they give the Federal Reserve a reason to hold rates steady at its next meeting in May, instead of hiking them as it has for the last year. Treasury yields fell following the reports.
On Tuesday:
The S&P 500 fell 23.91 points, or 0.6%, to 4,100.60.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 198.77 points, or 0.6%, to 33,402.38.
The Nasdaq composite fell 63.13 points, or 0.5% to 12,126.33.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 32.66 points, or 1.8%, to 1,769.65.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is down 8.71 points, or 0.2%.
The Dow is up 128.23 points, or 0.4%.
The Nasdaq is down 95.58 points, or 0.8%.
The Russell 2000 is down 32.83 points, or 1.8%.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 261.10 points, or 6.8%.
The Dow is up 255.13 points, or 0.8%.
The Nasdaq is up 1,659.84 points, or 15.9%.
The Russell 2000 is up 8.41 points, or 0.5%.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com