*

ASML's weak sales forecast impacts tech shares

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Oil prices fall due to easing supply worries and weak

demand

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Financial firms post strong profits, healthcare results

disappoint

By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK, Oct 15 (Reuters) -

U.S. stocks closed down on Tuesday, following world stocks

lower as a weak sales forecast from chipmaker ASML

weighed on tech shares, while crude extended its slide due to

easing supply worries and weakening demand.

The three major U.S. indexes ended the session in negative

territory, with the S&P 500 and the Dow easing back from

Monday's record closing highs.

Financial firms Goldman Sachs ( GS ), Citigroup ( C/PN ) and

Bank of America ( BAC ) all posted better-than-expected profit,

while healthcare companies UnitedHealth ( UNH ) and Johnson &

Johnson ( JNJ ) results underwhelmed investors.

But Netherlands-based chip equipment maker ASML posted third

quarter results that surprised markets with weak bookings and

lower-than-expected sales forecasts, dour news that proved

contagious to the U.S. chip sector.

"The U.S. stock market is so heavily weighted in tech, it's

going to drive where the overall market appears to be going,"

said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank

Wealth Management in Seattle. "But below the surface it's not

bad news across the board."

"The global story is more due to soft data," Haworth added.

Energy stocks suffered the steepest percentage drop

among the major S&P 500 sectors, falling 3.04% on sliding crude

prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 324.60 points,

or 0.75%, to 42,740.62, the S&P 500 fell 44.54 points, or

0.76%, to 5,815.31 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 187.10

points, or 1.01%, to 18,315.59.

European stocks posted their largest one-day percentage drop

in over two weeks, weighed by tech stocks in the wake of ASML's

disappointing annual sales forecast.

Meanwhile, investors remained focused on the European

Central Bank's rate decision on Thursday.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe

fell 6.20 points, or 0.72%, to 850.98. The STOXX 600

index fell 0.8%, while Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index

fell 19.22 points, or 0.92%.

Emerging market stocks fell 11.40 points, or

0.98%, to 1,148.66.

Oil prices slid to a near two-week low, extending Monday's

losses amid easing supply pressures arising from the conflict in

the Middle East, amid reports Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden's administration that

Israel would avoid striking Iranian oil targets.

Additionally, OPEC and the International Energy Agency both

lowered their global demand forecasts, mostly due to weakness in

China.

"Sliding oil prices are disinflationary and that's a

positive for the broader economy," said Tim Ghriskey, senior

portfolio strategist Ingalls & Snyder in New York. "What you're

seeing now is the speculation that Middle East oil properties

are going to be exempt from attack."

"And falling oil prices does say something about global

demand."

U.S. crude tumbled 4.40% to $70.58 per barrel, while

Brent fell to $74.25 per barrel, down 4.14% on the day.

Benchmark U.S. Treasury yields edged lower, pausing after

touching a 2-1/2 month high in the wake of soft manufacturing

data from the New York Federal Reserve.

The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell

3.7 basis points to 4.036%, from 4.073% late on Friday.

The 30-year bond yield fell 5.8 basis points to

4.3237% from 4.382% late on Friday.

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in

step with interest rate expectations, rose 1.1 basis points to

3.952%, from 3.941% late on Friday.

The dollar was nominally lower against a basket of world

currencies amid wagers that the Federal Reserve will proceed

with modest rate cuts in the near term.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback

against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro,

rose 0.06% to 103.24, with the euro down 0.2% at $1.0887.

Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.37%

to 149.2.

Gold gained traction, lifted by lower Treasury yields.

Spot gold rose 0.4% to $2,661.80 an ounce.

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