Markets Move Lower to Start the Week

U.S. stock markets are down to start the week, but the bears aren't exactly calling it a victory today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI  ) is down a tiny 0.12%, and the S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC  ) has fallen a whopping 0.32% with a half-hour left in the trading day.

The 30 Dow components are nearly evenly split in their movements today, and considering the market's tiny movement, there are some surprisingly big movers within the Dow. Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC  ) slide continued today, a few days removed from the company lowering its guidance. The stock is currently down 3.6% to lead the laggards.

Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) is down 2.3% on little news. United Airlines is planning to debut its first 787 on Nov. 4, and passengers excited for the new plane can start planning their first flight on the new aircraft.

Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) led the day's leaders with a 1.5% gain on more cost-cutting measures. The company now plans to cut 29,000 jobs -- 2,000 more than its previous plans. The company also said it would take $400 million in charges because of a consolidation of real-estate and data-center-related charges. The market is liking the plan for now, but I have to wonder what will be left of HP after the ax comes to rest.

Even the day's trading range of 53 points is something of a yawner for traders today. As slow as the market has moved for the past few months, it has been a good time to be a long-term investor. The Dow has climbed steadily throughout the summer and is close to touching 52-week highs right now.

Of course, all of these gains could be wiped out with the election and fiscal cliff on the horizon. To see how you should invest with those two events coming up, check out our free report highlighting 3 stocks that could skyrocket after the election.