Citigroup Inc. (C) and Bank of America Corp. (BAC) dropped more than 0.9 percent to pace declines among financial companies. Commodity producers retreated as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX), Alcoa Inc. (AA) and Halliburton Co. (HAL) decreased at least 0.9 percent. First Solar Inc. (FSLR), the biggest maker of thin-film solar panels, tumbled 8.3 percent after permitting issues delayed a U.S. loan guarantee for a power plant in California.
The S&P 500 declined 0.8 percent to 1,341.43 as of 11:24 a.m. New York time. The benchmark gauge for American equities has fallen 0.3 percent since Feb. 3, snapping the longest weekly rally since January 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 112.50 points, or 0.9 percent, to 12,777.96 today.
