US equity markets retreated as a combination of geopolitical tensions in Asia and Latin America weighed on sentiment - Dow down -391-points or -1.49% (to 25,896.44) and lost its grip on the 26,000 level, with Merck & Co Inc (up +0.22%) the only index constituent to advance. The broader S&P500 dropped -1.23%, with Financials (down -1.92%) bearing the brunt of the latest decline in US bond yields and leasing all eleven primary sectors into the red. The technology-centric NASDAQ lost -1.20%.
