Energy shares lead Wall Street lower

By Lewis Krauskopf

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Monday, led lower by the energy sector as oil prices slumped, amid a pause in quarterly earnings reports and uncertainty over President Donald Trump's economic policies.

The benchmark S&P 500 receded after climbing close to a fresh record high on Friday.

U.S. equities have rallied since Trump's November election, spurred by hopes for fiscal stimulus and fewer regulations under the Republican-led federal government.

But investors are now awaiting further details on Trump's proposals, said Ernie Cecilia, chief investment officer of Bryn Mawr Trust in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

"The markets have run pretty well in advance of the (expected) stimulus," Cecilia said. "Now we need some specificity in terms of tax cuts and regulation."

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> fell 34 points, or 0.17 percent, to 20,037.46, the S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 7.24 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,290.18 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 11.27 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,655.50.

Goldman Sachs economists said a fiscal boost to the United States is more likely in 2018 than this year because "the balance of risks is somewhat less positive" one month into 2017 and Trump's growth-boosting agenda could be offset by negative effects of trade and immigration restrictions.

"There are concerns regarding the backlash against any protectionist policies that come out of Washington and other countries and investors are seeking clarity," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive officer at 50 Park Investments.

All 11 major S&P sectors were lower. Energy shares <.SPNY> were the biggest laggards, falling 1 percent as oil prices declined.

In earnings news, Hasbro shares jumped 14.4 percent after the No. 2 U.S. toymaker reported record holiday-quarter revenue.

Several major companies were set to report results later in the week, including Gilead Sciences , Walt Disney and Coca-Cola .

More than half of S&P 500 companies have reported fourth-quarter results, and about two-thirds of them have posted profit above Wall Street expectations, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

In other corporate news, Tyson Foods fell 4.1 percent after the company disclosed it had received a subpoena from U.S. authorities that it said likely stemmed from allegations the company conspired to fix chicken prices.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.71-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.76-to-1 ratio favoured decliners.

The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and 1 new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 101 new highs and 22 new lows.

(Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Meredith Mazzilli)