Markets are providing few hints this morning at the ultimate direction today's trading will take, with futures markets on both the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Yesterday's 115-point fall for the Dow marked its biggest drop since July 20 and brought the blue-chip index's losing streak to four straight days. Looking to industry-specific performance, which is best done using the broader S&P 500 index, defensive sectors earned their stripes yesterday, with sectors like health care and telecom services falling 0.13% and 0.35% versus the aggregate index's 0.81% fall. The notable exception to this was the utilities sector, which fell 1%, making it the second-worst performer ahead of only the highly cyclical materials sector's 1.7% drop.
Movers and shakers
Turning to individual stocks, the biggest underperformer in the S&P was retailer Big Lots
Looking to some of the biggest movers overnight, shares of S&P component Autodesk
Foolish bottom line
After a week filled with losses, it appears the massive rally off of June lows may be sputtering to an end. But does that mean you should categorically rule out stocks at this juncture? Caution is certainly warranted in certain instances, but the best investors find opportunity in a sell-off, picking up shares of great businesses at discounted prices.
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