Stocks Drop on Stimulus Deadlock as Banks Tumble: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- Stocks fell on speculation that recent gains have outpaced prospects for a quick end to the stalemate over fresh economic stimulus. Treasuries and the dollar climbed.

Banks led losses in the S&P 500, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. sinking as investors worried that third-quarter earnings signaled just a pause in pain from soured loans. Eli Lilly & Co. tumbled after putting its government-sponsored antibody test on hold due to potential safety concerns, hours after Johnson & Johnson paused its Covid-19 vaccine trial. Amazon.com Inc. closed little changed and Apple Inc. slumped after Monday’s surge in big tech. The online retailer kicked off its Prime Day sale event, while the tech giant unveiled its iPhone 12 line with 5G speed.

Read: Profit Guidance Suggests S&P 500 Firms Overstated Lockdown Woes

Prospects for U.S. fiscal stimulus before Election Day dimmed on Tuesday, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding the Trump administration revamp its latest offer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell pushing a smaller-scale strategy that she quickly rejected. His proposal to vote next week on just one provision appeared to stoke opposition even from President Donald Trump, who tweeted “Go big or go home!!”

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride in terms of communication from both sides,” said Mark Heppenstall, chief investment officer at Penn Mutual Asset Management. “There are still going to be significant pockets of stress in the economy,” and a fiscal package could help bridge the gap until we do get a vaccine, he added.

Meanwhile, Democrats grilled U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for hours about abortion rights, health-care law, guns and election disputes, but made little progress derailing her likely Senate confirmation and a strengthened conservative majority on the court.

Here are some key events coming up:

• Results from Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs are due Wednesday; Morgan Stanley’s earnings are scheduled for Thursday.
• U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a deadline of Thursday to thrash out the outline of a European Union trade deal.
• European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde leads off the virtual annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Through Oct. 18.

These are some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• The S&P 500 dipped 0.6% as of 4 p.m. New York time.
• The Stoxx Europe 600 Index decreased 0.5%.
• The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.1%.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index jumped 0.5%.
• The euro decreased 0.6% to $1.1747.
• The Japanese yen weakened 0.1% to 105.48 per dollar.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries slid five basis points to 0.73%.
• Germany’s 10-year yield fell one basis point to -0.56%.
• Britain’s 10-year yield decreased three basis points to 0.239%.

Commodities

• The Bloomberg Commodity Index fell 0.3%.
• West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2% to $40.22 a barrel.
• Gold slid 1.5% to $1,893.74 an ounce.

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