Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (-0.6%), Nasdaq Composite (-1.0%), and DJIA (-0.4%) hold widening losses just before midday as mixed reactions to earnings reports, a lack of macro catalysts, and weakness in tech and mega-cap stocks keep the major averages just below their flat lines. 

Earnings have been a key driver of price action, with several sectors' best- or worst-performing names among the companies that reported before the open. 

The health care sector (+0.9%) holds the widest gain, supported by strength in Intuitive Surgical (ISRG 539.15, +76.41, +16.51%) after an earnings beat, while the industrials sector (-1.0%) holds the widest loss after GE Vernova (GEV 534.56, -50.77, -8.67%) missed earnings expectations.

The information technology sector faces pressure in chipmaker names after an earnings miss from Texas Instruments (TXN 170.86, -9.98, -5.52%), while strength in Alphabet (GOOG 256.38, +5.04, +2.01%) keeps the communication services sector (-0.1%) near its baseline despite a rare earnings miss from Netflix (NFLX 1118.70, -122.65, -9.88%). 

The Vanguard Mega-Cap Growth ETF is down 0.4%, preventing growth in the major averages. 

Meanwhile, the small-cap Russell 2000 (-1.1%) and S&P Mid Cap 400 (-0.6%) underperform.