Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (flat), Nasdaq Composite (flat), and DJIA (-0.3%) now sit mixed after modest opening losses. 

The financials sector (-1.0%) is unsurprisingly a laggard this morning, with lenders such as Synchrony Financial (SYF 80.87, -6.00, -6.91%) and Capital One (COF 234.36, -14.84, -5.96%) among the worst-performing S&P 500 names after President Trump called for a one-year 10% interest rate cap on credit cards. 

The energy sector (-0.7%) is also down as geopolitical tensions in Venezuela and Iran continue to cause volatility in oil prices. Crude oil is currently down $0.58 (-1.0%) to $58.54 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the broader market is largely improved from a mostly lower open. 

The consumer staples sector (+0.9%) is the early standout, with strong leadership coming from Walmart (WMT 116.77, +2.24, +1.96%) after news that the company will be added to the Nasdaq 100 Index prior to the market open on January 20. 

Elsewhere, the materials sector (+0.5%) advances as precious metals prices surge amid a safe-haven rally, and even the information technology sector (+0.1%) now holds a modest gain.