New York (AFP)
The New York Stock Exchange ended in red on Tuesday, after a jagged session, marked by a burst of halftone corporate results.
Its flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, fell 0.88% to 24,345.82 points.
The Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, fell more frankly by 0.15% to 8,716.99 points, weighted by the decline of several tech giants like Apple (-1.62%), Facebook (-2.45% ) or Netflix (-4.16%).
The broader S&P 500 Index, which represents the 500 largest companies on Wall Street, lost 0.52% to 2,863.39 points.
The New York place had however started the session in the green, investors hoping for a gradual reopening of the American economy, at a standstill due to the crisis linked to the coronavirus.
But this optimism came up against "mixed results, the withdrawal of the annual forecasts of several companies as well as economic news which continues to disappoint," note analysts at Charles Schwab.
The American pharmaceutical laboratory Pfizer has thus reaffirmed its annual financial objectives and ruled out any shortage of drugs despite the coronavirus pandemic, but it saw its net profit fall over a year. Its security was down 1.10%.
Its competitor Merck also did not anticipate a shortage, but warned that the measures of containment and social distancing to stem the spread of Covid-19 would affect its financial results for 2020. Its action fell by 3.33% .
As for the PepsiCo group (+ 1.38%), it has withdrawn its forecasts for 2020, citing the uncertainties hanging over the world economy.
In contrast, the American group 3M, which manufactures highly sought-after N95 protective masks to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, saw its quarterly net profit soar by 45% to $ 1.29 billion, thanks in particular to rising demand for its medical equipment. Its title rose by 2.58%.
Among the indicators, consumer confidence in the United States deteriorated sharply in April, for the second month in a row, faced with the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Conference Board index published on Tuesday.
On the bond market, the 10-year rate on US Treasuries fell, moving to 0.6082% against 0.6605% Monday evening.
© 2020 AFP