Investing.com - Stocks were suffering a Halloween slump as trade and economic worries took over markets.
The were off 0.91% at 3 PM ET (19:00 GMT). The blue chips had fallen as many as 266 points. The was down 0.66%, and the dropped 0.47%.
The was pulled down by weakness in Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:), Caterpillar (NYSE:) and 3M (NYSE:). Boeing (NYSE:) was off 1.7% and subtracted 35 points from the Dow by itself.
Apple (NASDAQ:), up 1.8% after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter results was the leader, adding 28 points to the index. It contributed 13.4 points to the Index. The index, however, was down 0.24%.
The slump was set off by a Bloomberg News report suggesting China may well resist signing a comprehensive trade deal. The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index fell 43.2 for October, its lowest level since Dec. 2015. Oil prices also fell, and gold jumped as many investors sought safety.