Stocks Take a Breather After Strong Week

All three major indexes finished the day in the red

Laura McCandless

Deputy Editor

Apr 19, 2021 at 4:36 PM

Stocks fell during today's session, as the market succumbed to a bout of profit-taking, with all three major benchmarks pulling back from last week's gains. The Dow closed 123 points lower, snapping a three-day win streak, while the Nasdaq also dropped triple-digits, and the S&P 500 landed modestly in the red. Meanwhile, Bitcoin continued its slump after a rollercoaster weekend, bringing the shares of Tesla (TSLA) down with it.

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

Options bulls target tech name despite recent slump.
A look at KMX after its new partnership announcement.
Plus, keep an eye on this engineering stock; PGR faltering from recent peak; and the blue-chip giant kicking off another earnings week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 34,077.63) dipped 123 points, or 0.4% for the day. Walgreen Boots Alliance (WBA) topped the list of blue chips, adding 0.9%, while IBM (IBM) dropped to the bottom for the second-straight day after shedding 1.7%.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 4,163.26) dropped 22.2 points or 0.5% for the day, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 13,914.77) lost 137.6 points, or 1%.

Lastly, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 17.29) added 1 point, or 6.4%.

Closing Indexes Summary April 19

NYSE and Nasdaq Stats April 19

A look at European soccer's proposed Super League and the enormous backlash it has created. (MarketWatch)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Emergent to pause its manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccine materials, while regulators investigate the plant responsible for ruining millions of shots. (CNBC)
President Biden's infrastructure plan could give VMI a boost.
Progressive stock receives a downgrade after recent highs.
Behind Coca-Cola's top-line earnings beat.

Earnings April 19

Unusual Options Activity April 19

Oil Rises on Heels of Libya's Halt in Output

Oil futures rose today amid reports that Libya has halted output in some of its oil fields -- continuing the recent positive supply/demand sentiment. May-dated crude added 25 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $63.38 a barrel.

Gold futures pulled back from their recent rally to settle lower today. June-dated gold fell $9.60, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,770.60 an ounce.

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