US stocks sink at open on renewed virus fears

(July 19) US stocks open lower on Monday; The DOW lost 1.42%, the S&P 500 dipped 1.30%, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.31%.

The S&P 500 declined for a third day. Travel-related stocks including United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Carnival Corp. were among the worst performers, falling more than 4%. Energy stocks tumbled as crude prices dropped to the lowest since early June after OPEC+ struck a deal to increase output. All 24 stocks in the KBW Bank Index declined. Ten-year U.S. Treasury yields fell to the lowest since February.

A rising number of Covid-19 cases as the delta variant spreads around the world is prompting investors to move money into safer assets on concern that new restrictions could sap an economic rebound that helped push all of the major U.S. equity benchmarks to record highs this month. The decline in Treasury yields may be a sign of cracks in the global recovery, putting the onus back on the Federal Reserve and other central banks to support ailing economies even as inflation remains elevated.