Dow Jones Industrial Average Sinks on Earnings, Fed

It was a whipsaw day on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) ultimately resolving lower. Unlike recent sessions which had markets tracking the price of oil, stocks and crude futures ended on opposite sides of breakeven. Dow components Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) suffered massive losses in the wake of their earnings reports. Also weighing on investor sentiment was an uninspiring outlook from the Fed, which said "economic growth slowed" since the December meeting, and it is "closely monitoring global economic and financial developments." 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• Good news and bad news for gold bugs.
• 3 high-profile earnings for tomorrow's watch list.
• Apple's earnings reaction had a cooling effect on this pair of suppliers -- and option bears were quick to pounce.
• Plus ... More cautious language from the Fed, Bill Ackman's "costly" mistakes, and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) hits a roadblock.
  

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA - 15,944.46) traded in a nearly 357-point range today, before settling down 222.8 points, or 1.4%, and back below 16,000. Twenty-three of the Dow's 30 components closed lower, led by BA's 8.9% plunge. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) paced the seven advancers with its 1.6% pop.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,882.95), meanwhile, shed 20.7 points, or 1.1%, to finish south of 1,900. The Nasdaq Composite (COMP - 4,468.17) fared the worst of its peers, closing at a 99.5-point, or 2.2%, loss.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 23.11) climbed 0.6 point, or 2.7%, and back above its 10-day moving average.

 

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5 Items on Our Radar Today:

1. As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) left its current monetary policy unchanged. In a statement released at the conclusion of its two-day meeting, the FOMC omitted a line about "balanced" risks to the outlook, and said "inflation is expected to remain low in the near term" -- dimming prospects for a March rate hike. (Bloomberg)

2. Bill Ackman fessed up to some "very costly" investments made last year by his firm, Pershing Square Capital Management. Specifically, Ackman noted big losses in his positions on Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (USA) (NYSE:CP). (CNBC)

3. NFLX hit a snag in its expansion plans, after a state-owned telecommunications firm in Indonesia blocked access to the streaming giant. 

4. Goldman Sachs took the hard line with Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) and two of its sector peers.

5. Pre-earnings option bulls may be excited about Amazon.com, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMZN) inaugural Super Bowl appearance, but Wall Street? Not so much.

Data courtesy of Trade-Alert

Commodities:

Crude climbed higher today, as a drop in domestic output overshadowed a jump in weekly inventories, and amid reports Russia could meet with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to discuss cutting output. By the close, crude for March delivery was up 85 cents, or 2.7%, at $32.30 per barrel -- its loftiest settlement since Jan. 8.

April-dated gold closed down $4.30, or 0.4%, at $1,116.30 per ounce ahead of the release of the FOMC's policy statement. However, futures moved north after the Fed struck a dovish tone, hitting its highest levels since early November.