The Dow Keeps Sliding
With the fiscal cliff just five days away and no solution to avoid falling over the edge, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) continued its losing streak for a third day. Although investors have not totally lost faith that a compromise is possible in Washington, most seem reluctant to add new capital to the markets with so much uncertainty looming. It is widely believed that if we go over the cliff, the U.S. will fall into another recession and the markets will quickly tumble. Today, 17 of the Dow's 30 components were in the red and the index closed the day down just 24 points, or 0.19%, and now sits at 13,114.
This afternoon, I explained why shares of Home Depot (NYS: HD) , United Technologies (NYS: UTX) , and Walt Disney (NYS: DIS) all moved lower. Read about what caused those stocks to fall by clicking here or stick around to learn why American Express (NYS: AXP) , Wal-Mart (NYS: WMT) , and UnitedHealth (NYS: UNH) dropped.
So why did they fall?
Shares of both American Express and Wal-Mart slid lower by 0.7% and 0.85%, respectively, today. The Dow's only credit card company and largest retailer both fell due to a report released by MasterCard today. Analysts there said that retail sales during the holiday shopping season rose a mere 0.7% this year. This represents the slowest growth since 2008.
Understandably, Wal-Mart's shares would drop based on this news. Slower overall retail sales growth means that the company will also likely realize reduced profit growth. That is not something investors like to see.
Since American Express makes money from the transaction fee that retailers pay every time a cardholder uses its credit card and a percentage of the total transaction amount, again slow growth in sales indicates the card company will see slow growth in revenue. While at this time investors only have the big picture number, shareholders of either company should hold off on selling until they see company-specific sales numbers at the end of the quarter.
Lastly, shares of UnitedHealth led all Dow stocks lower today as they dropped by 1.15%. The health-care company has been under pressure for the past six months as shares have lost 7% of their value. The main driver pushing the stock lower is the possible cut to Medicare outlays in 2013.
More foolish insight
When President Obama was reelected, shares of UnitedHealth and other health insurers fell immediately. Is Obamacare a death knell for health insurers, or is the market missing out on some of the opportunities the law presents? In this brand-new premium report on UnitedHealth, we take the long-term view, honing in on prospects for UnitedHealth in a post-Obamacare world. The report also comes with a full year of analyst updates to keep you covered as key news develops, so don't miss out -- simply click here now to claim your copy today.
The article The Dow Keeps Sliding originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Matt Thalman owns shares of Walt Disney, as does The Motley Fool. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend American Express, Walt Disney, The Home Depot, and UnitedHealth Group. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
