Sentiment was dented by the rising number of new COVID-19 cases and an inability by lawmakers to push forward on new fiscal stimulus.
Industrials giants Caterpillar (-3.2%) and 3M (-3.1%) both reported a decline in quarterly earnings. But Harley-Davidson (+22.1%) shares jumped on a better-than-expected profit result.
Tech shares advanced after semiconductor designer Advanced Micro Devices (-4.1%) agreed to buy Xilinx (+8.6%) in a US$35 billion all-stock deal. Amazon (+2.5%), Zoom Video (+4.1%) and Apple (+1.4%) shares rose. The Dow Jones index fell by 222 points or 0.8% -near session lows. The S&P500 index lost 0.3%, but the Nasdaq index was up by 72 points or 0.6%.
