U.S. Stocks Fall on Stimulus Bets Amid Jobs, Factory Data

U.S. stocks fell, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a one-month low, as jobs and factory data missed estimates and investors speculated whether the Federal Reserve will taper bond purchases.

All 10 S&P 500 industry groups retreated. Alcoa Inc. and Bank of America Corp. dropped at least 2 percent, as raw-materials and financial companies fell the most. An index of homebuilders slumped 1.6 percent as mortgage applications dropped for a fourth straight week. Intel Corp. plunged 2.6 percent for the biggest slide in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Walgreen Co. climbed 1.3 percent as sales exceeded analysts’ estimates.