Stocks fell for a second consecutive session on Wednesday, as investors sold off tech shares and weak earnings from financial heavyweights pressured the broader market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
On the earnings front, Bank of America
"The economy and our customers remain resilient, but we continue to closely monitor our portfolios for signs of weakness," Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf told analysts during the company's earnings call, adding that the bank encourages "continued careful consideration of all proposals," regarding credit card interest rates "to make sure we get to the right outcomes."
In economic news, wholesale prices rose at a less-than-expected rate in November, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. The headline producer price index reading, which measures final demand prices, rose 0.2% on the month and 3% annually. Excluding food and energy, core PPI rose 0.2% month-to-month and 2.5% annually.
Meanwhile, retail sales rose 0.6% for November, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, coming in below Dow Jones economist expectations for an increase of 0.4%. Excluding autos, sales rose by a hotter-than-expected 0.5%.
