US equity markets resumed trading after the Presidents Day long weekend with a fall as investors focussed on the latest round of corporate earnings releases - Dow fell -255-points or -1.01%, with Walmart Inc (down -10.14%) posting its worst one-day percentage fall since January 1988 after a disappointing fourth quarter earnings (adjusted earnings per share (EPS) US$1.33 versus consensus expectations US$1.37) said that on-line sales slowed. Walmart alone lopped ~70-points off the Dow. The broader S&P500 lost -0.58%. Both the Dow and S&P500 closed below their 50-day moving averages. The technology-centric NASDAQ slipped -0.07%.
