Dow Falls 250 Points; Becton Dickinson Posts Upbeat Earnings

Company Performance - Becton Dickinson and Co. reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.91 per share, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.81 [2] - The company achieved sales of $5.25 billion, slightly above the consensus of $5.15 billion [2] - Becton Dickinson lowered its fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings guidance from a range of $14.75-$15.05 per share to $12.35-$12.65 per share, compared to the consensus of $14.72 [2] Market Overview - U.S. stocks showed mixed performance, with the Dow Jones index falling approximately 250 points, down 0.51% to 49,860.74 [1] - The NASDAQ increased by 0.12% to 23,058.05, while the S&P 500 decreased by 0.02% to 6,931.07 [1] - Information technology shares rose by 1%, while consumer discretionary stocks fell by 1.3% [1] Commodity Market - Oil prices decreased by 0.4% to $63.29, while gold prices increased by 0.8% to $5,018.70 [3] - Silver prices rose by 2.5% to $78.830, whereas copper prices fell by 0.2% to $5.8705 [3] European Market - European shares were mostly higher, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 gaining 0.1% [4] - Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose by 0.4%, while London's FTSE 100 fell by 0.3% [4] - Germany's DAX increased by 0.5%, and France's CAC 40 rose by 0.1% during the session [4] Asian Market - Asian markets closed higher, with Japan's Nikkei jumping 3.89% [5] - Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 1.76%, China's Shanghai Composite increased by 1.41%, and India's BSE Sensex rose by 0.58% [5]