Stocks extended their midday deficits to finish the day firmly lower, as investors unpacked this morning's pending home sales and manufacturing data. The Dow dropped 365 points as the energy sector weighed on the index, with J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM) the only Dow member to finish the day higher. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both fell, the latter logging a second-straight triple-digit loss and its lowest close of 2022. 

GOLD HANGING ON TO $1,800

Oil prices settled cautiously lower today. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for January delivery lost 57 cents, to settle at $78.96 per barrel.

Gold prices settled lower, though still above $1,800 per ounce. February-dated gold dropped $7.30, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,815.80 per ounce.

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