U.S. equities opened lower on Friday as large-cap tech stocks followed Amazon.com lower.
The Nasdaq composite lagged, falling 0.64 percent. The S&P 500 declined 0.23 percent, with information technology and consumer discretionary leading decliners. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 12 points, with Boeing contributing the most losses.
Shares of the e-commerce giant fell 3.7 percent on the back of much weaker-than-expected quarterly results. Amazon posted second-quarter earnings per share of 40 cents. Analysts polled by Reuters expected earnings of $1.42 a share. Sales, however, came in above expectations.
Stocks from other major tech companies also fell, including Apple, Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet. The fall came a day after the tech sector dragged the broader market lower as investors took profits off the table.
“Even in retreat, large technology names dragged the broader indices around like a ragdoll,” Jeremy Klein, chief market strategist at FBN Securities, said in a note Friday.
The major indexes notched a record high Thursday before tech rolled late-morning Thursday.
“The SPX and NDX saw ‘outside-down’ days yesterday, increasing the likelihood of downside follow-through in the days ahead,” Katie Stockton, chief technical strategist at BTIG, said in a note.
“It appears that typical August volatility may already be upon us. Initial support for the SPX is defined by the 50-day moving average, and secondary support is approximately 2400, about 3% below current levels,” she said.
In economic news, U.S. economic growth for the second quarter came in-line with expectations, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.6 percent, matching Reuters’ estimate. Stock futures remained lower following the data release.
Source: Tech CNBC
US stocks fall as Amazon drags tech lower