Stocks slide as oil hits 7-year high

West Texas Intermediate crude oil briefly topped $82 a barrel

U.S. stock indexes closed on session lows as oil prices hit a seven-year high and financials weighed on the S&P 500 ahead of key earnings later this week. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 249 points or 0.72%, while the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite index declined 0.69% and 0.64%, respectively. The Dow had gained 205 points at its best levels of the day. Trading was light as the U.S. Treasury market was closed for Columbus Day.  

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 39807.37 +47.29 +0.12%
SP500 S&P 500 5254.35 +5.86 +0.11%
I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 16379.458265 -20.06 -0.12%

In stocks, Diamondback Energy Inc., ExxonMobil Corp. and Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. were among the energy companies in focus as West Texas Intermediate crude soared $1.17 to $80.52 a barrel. The energy component early on Monday briefly topped $82, hitting a 7-year high. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
FANG DIAMONDBACK ENERGY INC. 198.17 +1.64 +0.83%
XOM EXXON MOBIL CORP. 116.23 +1.18 +1.03%
CTRA COTERRA ENERGY INC. 27.88 +0.02 +0.07%
CVX CHEVRON CORP. 157.72 +1.36 +0.87%

Elsewhere in the space, Chevron Corp. announced it would target zero net emissions for some upstream gas emissions by 2050. A number of other energy companies have already announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Meanwhile, financials including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. traded lower ahead of earnings due later this week. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
JPM JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 200.31 +0.79 +0.40%
GS THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC. 417.69 +2.44 +0.59%
WFC WELLS FARGO & CO. 57.96 +0.35 +0.61%

Southwest Airlines Co. blamed air traffic control problems, bad weather in Florida and staff shortages for more than 1,600 flights being canceled over the weekend. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
LUV SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. 29.17 -0.08 -0.27%

Merck & Co. said it has applied for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 tablet. If approved, the drug would be the first oral antiviral drug for the disease. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
MRK MERCK & CO. INC. 131.92 +0.12 +0.09%

Honeywell International Inc. raised its business jet delivery forecast for 2022 to 2031 by 1% to 7,400 planes worth $238 billion. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
HON HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. 205.25 +0.12 +0.06%

Overseas markets were mixed. 

European trading was choppy with Britain’s FTSE 100 up 0.72% and France’s CAC 40 ticking higher by 0.16% while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.05%. 

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In Asia, China’s Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.01%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 1.96%.