Stocks tumble as data sparks slowdown worries
US manufacturing gauge drops to eight-month low
Arm Holdings down after tepid Q2 revenue forecast
Eli Lilly up as weight-loss drug cut heart failure risk in trial
Indexes down: Dow 1.57%, S&P 1.76%, Nasdaq 2.76%
Updated at 2:18 p.m. ET/1818 GMT
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Thursday as early gains evaporated, after a round of economic data spurred concerns the economy may be slowing faster than anticipated while the Federal Reserve maintains a restrictive monetary policy.
Equities initially opened higher, buoyed in part by gains in Meta PlatformsMETA.O after its quarterly resultstopped expectations and the Facebook parent issued an upbeat outlook for the third quarter. Its shares were last up 4.37% and $495.55.
Stocks turned lower, however, after data showed a measure of manufacturing activity from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) dropped to an eight-month low in July at 46.8, signifying contraction.
"The ISM is really what started the ball rolling today and then selling causes more selling," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York.
"We're still in earnings season and there will be positive surprises that will probably drive the market higher and there may be negative surprises as well... but if you get something negative like ISM, it causes profit-taking."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 641.99 points, or 1.57%, to 40,200.80, the S&P 500 .SPXlost 97.64 points, or 1.76%, to 5,424.66 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 485.21 points, or 2.76%, to 17,114.19.
Other data showed the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased to an 11-month high last week, suggesting some softening in the labor market, although seasonal factors also played a role.
Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq registered their biggest daily percentage gains since February in the prior session, boosted by a rally in chip shares after the Fed kept rates steady, as expected.
Defensive sectors such as utilities.SPLRCU and real estate.SPLRCR led gains, as geopolitical concerns boosted the dollar and pulled Treasury yields lower.
Declines in megacap names such as AppleAAPL.O and AmazonAMZN.O ahead of their quarterly results due after the closing bell weighed heavily on the tech .SPLRCT and consumer discretionary .SPLRCD indexes, which were among the worst performing of the 11 major S&P sectors.
The small-cap Russell 2000 .RUT slumped over 3% and was on track for its biggest daily percentage drop since Feb 13. Small caps have been among the first stocks to benefit as investors rotate out of more expensive stocks.
Nvidia NVDA.O slumped 8.21% in a broader chip stocks rout sparked byArm Holdings' ARM.O conservative revenue forecast and Qualcomm QCOM.O flagging a revenue hit from the impact of trade curbs, dragging those stocks down 17.01% and 9.74%, respectively.
Moderna MRNA.Oslumped 20.73% after cutting its2024 sales forecast for COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines by up to 25%.
Eli Lilly LLY.Nrose 3% aftertrial results showed weight-loss drug Zepbound reduces the risk of hospitalization, death and other outcomes for obese adults with a common type of heart failure.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.22-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 3.58-to-1 ration on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted 50 new 52-week highs and seven new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 61 new highs and 144 new lows.
US unemployment claims https://reut.rs/3yqdYFJ
Q2 earnings growth on track for most S&P 500 sectors Q2 earnings growth on track for most S&P 500 sectors https://reut.rs/3Sv5ZOz
Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak
Editing by Marguerita Choy
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