S&P 500 Falls Last Month; Volatility In Markets Decreases

U.S. stocks recorded losses for February, as investors continue to monitor the Fed’s monetary policy.

Stocks on the Wall Street retreated last month, following a strong performance in January. For the month, the S&P 500 lost 2.6%, while the Dow dropped around 4.2%.

Investors digested recent economic reports, which showed the US trade deficit in goods increasing to $91.5 billion in January versus a revised $89.7 billion in the prior month. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index climbed 4.6% year-over-year in December.

Target Corporation TGT shares gained 1% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 results.

Majority of the sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with energy and utilities stocks recording the biggest plunge on Tuesday. However, materials and communication services stocks settled higher during the session.

The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.13% to close at 12,042.12 on Tuesday, amid gains in shares of Microsoft Corp MSFT and Tesla Inc TSLA.

The S&P 500 fell 0.30%, while the Dow Jones lost 0.71% to 32,656.70 in the previous session.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange's CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) fell 1.2% to 20.70 points on Tuesday.

What is CBOE Volatility Index?

The CBOE Volatility Index, popularly known as VIX, is a measure of the equity market's expectation of volatility based on S&P 500 index call and put options.

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