Stock market today: Wall Street slumps in final days of a banner year for US stocks

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Monday as a strong year for the market looks set to end on a sour note.

The S&P 500 fell 1.5% in morning trading. Nearly every stock within the index lost ground. With just two days left in 2024, the benchmark index is still on track for its second straight yearly gain of more than 20%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 624 points, or 1.5%, as of 10:51 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.7%.

Big Tech companies were among the heaviest weights on the market, worsening the slump. Apple fell 1.7% and Microsoft fell 1.6%. Their pricey valuations tend to have an outsized impact on the broader market.

Boeing fell 3.2% after one of its jets skidded off a runway in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard. South Korea is inspecting all 737-800 aircraft operated by airlines in the country.

The disaster was yet another blow for Boeing following a machinists strike, further safety problems with its troubled top-selling aircraft and a plunging stock price. Its shares have declined more than 30% this year.

Airlines fell in the wake of the crash. United Airlines fell 3.5%, Delta Air Lines slipped 2.3%, and American Airlines fell 0.8%. They all include Boeing aircraft as part of their fleets.

Bond yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.55% from 4.63% late Friday. The yield on the two-year Treasury fell to 4.26% from 4.33% late Friday.

Crude oil prices rose 1.1%. Energy stocks held up better than the rest of the market. The sector slipped 0.3% for the smallest drop within the S&P 500 index.

Natural gas prices jumped 9.7%. That helped support gains for natural gas producers. EQT Corp. was one of the few winners on the market, with a 4% gain.

Indexes in Europe and Asia mostly fell.

Markets are nearing the close of a stellar year driven by a growing economy, solid consumer spending and a strong jobs market. Wall Street expects companies within the S&P 500 to report broad earnings growth of more than 9% for the year, according to FactSet. The final figures will be tallied following fourth-quarter reports that start in a few weeks.

Wall Street was encouraged by cooling inflation throughout the year that had brought the rate of inflation close to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. That raised hopes that the central bank would deliver a steady stream of interest rate cuts, which would ease borrowing costs and fuel more economic growth.

The Fed cut interest rates three times in 2024, but has signaled a more cautious approach heading into 2025 amid stubborn inflation and worries about it reheating. The latest report on consumer prices showed that inflation edged slightly higher, to 2.7%, in November.

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