US close: Stocks lower as omicron fears weigh on sentiment
Wall Street stocks closed lower on Monday as the Covid-19 omicron variant was back in focus.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.89% at 35,650.95, while the S&P 500 was 0.91% weaker at 4,668.97 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 1.39% softer at 15,413.28.
The Dow closed 320.04 points lower on Monday, reversing gains recorded in the previous session as investors shrugged off news that US inflation had surged to a 39-year high in November amid supply constraints.
With the US now approaching 800,000 Covid-related deaths, omicron has already led a handful of lawmakers to reinstate health restrictions as part of an effort to slow the spread of the omicron variant.
News that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had confirmed that at least one patient infected with the omicron variant had died in the UK also weighed in sentiment.
Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna were both in the green at the end of trading after Dr Anthony Fauci branded Covid-19 booster shots as being "optimal care" against the omicron variant but vowed that the definition of "fully vaccinated" would not change.
Reopening plays like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Carnival also traded lower.
No major data points or corporate earnings were scheduled for release on Monday.
Dow Jones - Risers
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $57.76 2.63%
Walmart Inc. (WMT) $143.57 1.80%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $168.45 1.79%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $157.67 1.42%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $73.42 1.10%
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $211.39 0.24%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $50.28 0.18%
Honeywell International Inc. (HON) $230.94 0.00%
Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $30.52 0.00%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $478.14 -0.02%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Boeing Co. (BA) $197.40 -3.74%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $53.32 -2.49%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $405.24 -2.45%
American Express Co. (AXP) $163.30 -2.23%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $115.88 -2.08%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $175.74 -2.07%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $384.64 -1.64%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $150.43 -1.49%
3M Co. (MMM) $174.58 -1.42%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $166.84 -1.31%
S&P 500 - Risers
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) $59.05 4.77%
Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) $38.54 4.70%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $55.20 4.59%
Incyte Corp. (INCY) $67.81 3.69%
Becton, Dickinson & Company (BDX) $252.81 3.20%
Cerner Corp. (CERN) $76.71 3.15%
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $84.03 3.09%
Baxter International Inc. (BAX) $83.20 2.89%
NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) $39.97 2.86%
McCormick & Co. (MKC) $93.06 2.82%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $281.61 -6.75%
FMC Technologies Inc. (FTI) $6.11 -6.72%
Macy's Inc. (M) $24.95 -6.66%
Kohls Corp. (KSS) $48.57 -6.16%
Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) $19.60 -6.04%
Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $629.91 -5.72%
Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) $41.06 -5.44%
Hanesbrands Inc. (HBI) $16.61 -5.36%
Albemarle Corp. (ALB) $248.80 -5.35%
United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) $41.74 -5.24%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Incyte Corp. (INCY) $67.81 3.69%
Cerner Corp. (CERN) $76.71 3.15%
Mercadolibre Inc. (MELI) $1,180.00 3.10%
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $84.03 3.09%
Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) $63.18 1.48%
Meta Platforms Inc. (FB) $334.49 1.44%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $379.83 1.42%
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $112.09 1.34%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $200.81 1.13%
Fiserv Inc. (FISV) $104.30 1.08%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $281.61 -6.75%
Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $629.91 -5.72%
Tesla Inc (TSLA) $966.41 -4.98%
American Airlines Group (AAL) $17.12 -4.94%
Marriott International - Class A (MAR) $153.68 -4.43%
Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $2,149.51 -3.88%
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (ULTA) $388.29 -3.77%
Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $147.10 -3.69%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $55.76 -3.65%
Trip.com Group Limited (TCOM) $25.08 -3.58%