Stocks Fall on Tech Stock Weakness and Disappointing Home Depot Earnings

Economic Reports and Market Outlook - A heavy economic schedule in the US includes various reports such as the ADP weekly employment report, industrial production, and the FOMC meeting minutes, indicating a focus on labor market conditions and consumer sentiment [1][2][3] - The markets are anticipating Nvidia's earnings report for insights on the AI outlook, along with earnings from Walmart and Target to gauge consumer spending health [2] Labor Market and Interest Rates - US weekly initial unemployment claims were reported at 232,000, with continuing claims rising by 10,000 to a two-month high of 1.957 million, suggesting potential labor market weakness [2] - The 10-year T-note yield fell by 4 basis points to 4.09% following the ADP report indicating an average job loss of 2,500 per week, which may bolster the outlook for further interest rate cuts by the Fed [3][8] Stock Market Performance - US stock indexes, including the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100, fell to one-month lows, driven by weakness in technology stocks and concerns over high valuations [4][5] - The S&P 500 Index decreased by 0.51%, while the Dow and Nasdaq indexes fell by 0.86% and 0.90%, respectively, reflecting a broader market decline [5] Corporate Earnings and Performance - The Q3 earnings season is nearing completion, with 82% of S&P 500 companies exceeding forecasts, resulting in a 14.6% increase in earnings, significantly above the expected 7.2% [6] - Home Depot's stock fell over 3% after reporting Q3 comparable sales growth of only 0.2%, below the consensus of 1.36%, and cutting its full-year operating margin estimate [13] Notable Stock Movements - Major tech stocks, including Amazon and Microsoft, declined over 1% following downgrades, while other tech giants like Meta, Tesla, and Nvidia also saw losses [11][12] - Medtronic's stock rose over 4% after reporting Q2 revenue of $8.96 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $8.87 billion [15]