Stock market live updates: Dow at session lows, CDC warns, Cramer says don’t buy

This is a live blog. Check back for updates

The Dow fell more than 600 points, for a loss of 2.15%. The S&P 500 was also down more than 2%. – Stevens

FAANG stocks are all showing losses following a slight rebound in the morning. Netflix was the biggest loser of the bunch, down 1.51%. Apple, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet were down between 0.05% and 0.94%. These technology stocks have been among the biggest winners in the bull market. Week-to-date, they are down between 4.49% and 5.67%. – Lewis

Stocks accelerated losses with the Dow falling more than 520 points. The Dow and S&P 500 are down roughly 1.8%, with the Nasdaq about 1.6% lower. – Stevens

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at session lows, dropping about 450 points in midday trading. Tuesday’s plunge brings the 30-stock average’s two-day point drop total to nearly 1,500 points. — Fitzgerald

Health officials said Tuesday the COVID-19 coronavirus is “likely” to continue to spread throughout the United States and the American public should “prepare for the expectation that this is going to be bad.” “Ultimately we expect we will see community spread in the United States,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a conference call. The CDC outlined what schools and businesses will likely need to do if virus becomes an epidemic in the U.S. Schools should consider dividing students into smaller groups or close and use “internet-based tele-schooling,” Messonnier said. “For adults, businesses can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase teleworking options.” —Lovelace

Facebook and Apple shares both traded down more than 10% from recent highs at their lows on Tuesday as the market’s sell-off whacked much-loved technology and communication stocks. Apple has been falling given its exposure to Chinese markets and supply chains, which the company cited earlier this year in announcing that it will fall short of prior first-quarter guidance.— Franck

The major averages traded off their session lows around noon eastern time. The Dow was down 275 points, or 0.98%, the S&P 500 shed 0.97% and the NASDAQ fell 0.7%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield is trading at a record low as coronavirus-related fears ripple through the market. – Stevens

Investors should avoid making bets on short-term market actions like the aggressive selloffs Wall Street has seen the past few days, said Michael Reynolds, investment strategy officer at Glenmede Trust. “We’re educating investors not to trade actively around news of this type. We have to recognize what we know, what we don’t know, what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are,” he said. “If we see market action like total capitulation and investors start to dump risk assets inconsistent with the economic effects that we should see, if markets start to lose their minds, it could present some buying opportunities.” – Cox

AlphaOne Capital’s Dan Niles said on CNBC’s “Squawk Alley” that his firm is sitting on more than 10% cash and doesn’t think it’s the right time to buy despite the sell-off. Niles said AlphaOne’s cash position would likely increase.
“Until it gets to be a point where we feel that people are truly appreciating the risk, we have no desire to step in. Nothing was oversold yesterday,” Niles said. — Pound

Energy ETF (XLE) dropped to its lowest level since Jan. 21, 2016 as the market’s losses accelerated. The ETF is down roughly 6.9% this week, putting it on track for its worst week since Dec. 2018. Nearly 29% of the fund’s components are down more than 10% this week, including Devon Energy, Cimarex Energy, Noble Energy and Diamondback Energy. – Francolla, Stevens

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial average are both down more than 6% from their record highs hit earlier in the month. The Nasdaq Composite Index is 7% from its record as it gets hit the hardest with investors selling the names that were up the most during the bull market. – Melloy

The Dow dropped 400 points as the bond market flashes warning signs, and as investors are increasingly turning cautious as the number of coronavirus cases rises. – Stevens

The Russell 2,000 fell below its 100-day moving average for the first time since Oct. 18th, as small caps slid. The index fell 1.7% and was on pace for its third straight session of a more than 1% loss. The index is also tracking for its worst week since December 2018. – Francolla, Stevens

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note, a benchmark for financial instruments such as mortgage rates and auto loans, fell to an all-time low on Tuesday as investors grew increasingly convinced that the coronavirus could have an impact on global growth. The 10-year rate fell to 1.32%, breaking below its prior record low of 1.325% set in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit vote. Bond yields fall as prices rise. “Lower longer term yields tends to signal lower growth expectations,” Jim Caron, managing director of Global Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, told CNBC. “This makes sense given the risk of COVID-related economic slowing, especially in the service sector (a large part of US GDP).” — Franck

Jim Cramer cautioned investors against rushing back into the market as concerns persist about the coronavirus. “No reason to buy anything if it’s up because that’s just a sucker’s game,” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street.” Cramer pointed to Microsoft as a stock investors should ordinarily look to, but maybe not Tuesday even as the tech giant fared better than the broader market. “If you want to buy a stock, if you want to get started, go ahead. I would do some Microsoft,” he said. “Not if it’s up though.” – Stankiewicz

The 10-year Treasury yield fell to a record low of 1.32%, below its previous record low of 1.325% set on July 6, 2016 in the aftermath of Brexit. The breakdown in bond yields is weighing on stocks with the major averages hitting session lows around the same time. Major bank stocks, whose margins could suffer under lower rates, are leading the way lower. -Melloy

All major averages fell more than 1%, with the Dow falling more than 300 points. – Stevens

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said a serious outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe and the United States would likely trigger a global recession. Zandi said Monday’s sharp decline in U.S. equities was due to the market adjusting for a higher chance of a pandemic after confirmed cases of the virus increased in Korea, Iran and Italy over the weekend. “If it is a pandemic, if it does show up in Europe and the United States, then that is the prescription for a global and U.S. recession,” Zandi said. — Pound

At least part of the trend in bonds is due to a growth scare brought on by the coronavirus and its threat to global supply chains, said Kathy Jones, chief fixed income strategist at Charles Schwab. “I do think you really have to be concerned about if it persists and becomes more widespread,” Jones said of the virus, citing recent news that Fiat Chrysler was closing its Serbia plant because it was having trouble getting parts from China. “That’s kind of a scary scenario. I think the bond market is attuned to what scares people. That’s what we’re seeing.” – Cox

Tom Lee of Fundstrat Global Advisors looked at three criteria to analyze this market environment: 3% sell-offs, occurring during non-recessions, with the U.S. PMI greater than 50. He found 94% of the time since 1948 stocks were higher the next 6 months with an average S&P 500 gain of 9.7%. – Melloy

The 10-year Treasury yield continues its slide from Monday and was last down 4 basis points to 1.33%. The yield is close to falling below its all-time low of 1.325%, which came in July 2016 in the aftermath of Brexit. A break of that level could hit bank stocks and weigh further on the stock market. – Melloy

Losses started to accelerate, with the Dow falling more than 150 points at the low. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are also lower. – Stevens

The Dow briefly turned negative before trading around the breakeven level. Earlier in the session the index had been up as much as 188 points. – Stevens

Consumer confidence rose again in February, though not as much as economists had hoped. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index registered a 130.7 reading for the month, above the 130.4 in January but below Dow Jones estimates of 132.6. Expectations for short-term growth improved, but those assessing business conditions as bad increased, while those saying conditions are good decreased. “Consumers’ short-term expectations improved, and when coupled with solid employment growth, should be enough to continue to support spending and economic growth in the near term,” Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators, said in a statement. – Cox

FAANG stocks rebounded slightly with the market on Tuesday, following Monday’s market rout. Facebook was the biggest gainer among them, up more than 1%. Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet were up between 0.40% and 0.63%. These high-flying tech stocks have been among the biggest winners in the bull market, but have stumbled amid the coronavirus outbreak that is disrupting global markets. Week-to-date, they are still down between 2.48% and 3.59%. – Lewis

The S&P 500 has turned negative as the selling returns to Wall Street following the worst drop for the benchmark in two years. The S&P 500 was up as much 0.65% at its highs. The Dow was up as much as 188 points on the day and is now up just 40 points. Notable losers include Mastercard and other banks as yields continue their slide. – Melloy

The major averages rallied at Tuesday’s open with the Dow rising 0.6%, or 150 points, while the S&P and NASDAQ rose 0.6% and 0.9%, respectively. The gains so far, however, barely dent Monday’s losses, which saw the Dow shed 1,031 points as investors feared that a surge in coronavirus cases outside of China could lead to a global economic slowdown. Home Depot, Microsoft and Apple were the leading gainers in the Dow. – Stevens

Data compiled by The Earnings Scout showed S&P 500 earnings estimates for the first quarter are now negative. Overall, analysts expect S&P 500 earnings to contract by 0.07%. Earlier this month, analysts expected growth of roughly 2.5%. The decline in earnings estimates comes as worries over how the coronavirus outbreak will impact corporate profits grow. “With 2020 EPS [estimates] dropping, future stock gains will require additional P/E multiple expansion,” said Nick Raich, CEO of The Earnings Scout, in a note. – Imbert

The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield hit a low of 1.347%, its lowest level since July 8, 2016 as investors remained cautious amid lingering worries over the coronavirus. The benchmark rate also traded below its all-time closing low around 1.36%. The 2-year U.S. rate dipped to 1.235%, its lowest levels since May 18, 2017. Germany’s benchmark yield fell to levels not seen since Oct. 10. – Imbert, Francolla

U.S. stock index futures picked up steam, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average set to post a 164 point gain at the open. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ also indicated gains at the start of the session. On Monday the Dow sank more than 1,000 points, for its worst point and percentage drop since February 2018. The S&P 500 plunged 3.3%, also the worst drop in two years. With Monday’s declines, the S&P 500 and the Dow both wiped out all of their 2020 gains. – Stevens

Futures may be pointing to a slight rebound, but strategist Ed Yardeni thinks the “panic attack” that led to the Dow falling more than 1,000 points Monday may not be over. “It has the potential to turn into one of the more severe corrections of the current bull market,” he wrote in a note. “It could turn into a bear market if it causes a recession in the US.” —Imbert

Shares of Home Depot rose more than 2% in Tuesday’s premarket trading after the company beat top and bottom line estimates in the fourth quarter. Earnings per share came in at $2.28, which was ahead of the $2.10 analysts had been expecting, according to estimates from Refinitiv. Revenue was $25.78 billion, which was slightly ahead of the $25.76 billion expected. Revenue did, however, fall 2.7% year-over-year. Same-store sales rose 5.2%, which also surpassed the expected 4.8% increase, and the company also hiked its dividend by 10%. – Stevens

Shares of Apple, which has the most on the line in China among the largest U.S. stocks, were bouncing slightly, up 0.7% in premarket trading following a 4.75% slide on Monday. Many analysts are weighing in following the drop. UBS says that the 2020 demand picture is in flux now, but 2021 is more important for the stock anyway with new phones set to be launched this fall. “We believe there is still no reason to become materially more cautious on 2021 expectations,” the UBS analyst wrote, maintaining a buy rating. Needham is slightly more cautious, though still maintains its buy rating. “The longer COVID-19 disruptions continue past June 1, the greater the threat to AAPL’s Sept new product launches (including its 5G phone) and Christmas selling season revenue, which represented about 32% of annual revs in each of the past 3 years.” – Melloy

The Dow and S&P 500 are now negative for the year after stocks’ steep slide on Monday, but BMO Capital Markets said things might not be as bad as they seem. “While the coronavirus certainly warrants persistent monitoring in the coming months, we do not believe investors should be pressing the panic button just yet,” chief investment strategist Brian Belski wrote in a note to clients. He argued that the market isn’t showing the “tell-tale signs” that an earnings deterioration is imminent. He did note that specific areas are being notably affected, but that even these companies’ longer-term fundamental outlooks “have largely remained intact.” – Stevens

Economist Mohamed El-Erian said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he’s advising investors against buying the coronavirus-induced dip. “I stress, this is different,” the Allianz chief economic advisor and ex-Pimco CEO said. He noted that while buying the dip is a well-known strategy on the Street, disruptions to corporate earnings and economic growth from “shock” events such as the coronavirus tend to impact stocks for longer than a fundamentals-driven downturn. – Belvedere, Stevens

It will be tough for any comeback rally to hold Tuesday without the help of the chipmakers, which have been among the hardest hit on the slowing global growth concerns stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Micron shares were down 1% after Bank of America downgraded the stock to underperform and also cut its view on the whole memory chip industry because of the coronavirus effect on supply chains in China and South Korea. Bank of America thinks Micron will need to cut guidance in March. Elsewhere, Nvidia shares were downgraded to “reduce” by Instinet, also citing the coronavirus risks to the global semiconductor industry. Nvidia is slightly higher in premarket. – Melloy

In a series of tweets CNBC’s Jim Cramer noted that despite implied gains at the open, investors shouldn’t buy into this rally or make decisions based on futures. He said that the market is “not that oversold” and pointed to a number of unknowns, including the coronavirus spreading from Milan to the United States, delays in a potential vaccine, as well as companies preannouncing EPS weakness. – Stevens

Stock futures implied a positive open for the major averages, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicating a gain of 113 points at the open. This hardly makes up for Monday’s losses, however, which saw $1.7 trillion wiped from the global market with the Dow sliding 3.56%, or 1,031 points, and the S&P and NASDAQ shedding 3.35% and 3.71%, respectively. – Stevens

With reporting from Gina Francolla, Matthew Belvedere, Al Lewis, Jeff Cox, Jess Pound, Michael Sheetz, Thomas Franck, Maggie Fitzgerald and Michael Bloom.

Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.