US markets end lower on concerns about resurgence of coronavirus

20 Jul 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Monday on concerns about a resurgence of the coronavirus, as the delta variant contributes to a spike in infections in the US. According to data from the CDC, the 7-day average of Covid-19 cases in the US has jumped to nearly 30,000 after falling as low as 11,455 a month ago. The renewed virus concerns led to significant weakness among companies hit hardest by the pandemic, with cruise operators Carnival (CCL), Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH) and Royal Caribbean (RCL) posting steep losses. Airline stocks also moved substantially lower on the day, dragging the NYSE Arca Airline Index down by 4.7 percent to its lowest closing level in well over five months. Considerable weakness was also visible among energy stocks, which moved sharply lower along with the price of crude oil.

On the economic data front, the National Association of Home Builders released a report showing an unexpected dip in US homebuilder confidence in the month of July. The report showed the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index edged down to 80 in July from 81 in June. The modest decrease surprised participants, who had expected the index to inch up to 82. With the unexpected drop, the housing market index slipped to its lowest level since hitting 78 in August of 2020.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 725.81 points or 2.09 percent to 33,962.04, Nasdaq lost 152.25 points or 1.06 percent to 14,274.98 and S&P 500 was down by 68.67 points or 1.59 percent to 4,258.49.    .

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