U.S. Stocks Fall as Russian Sanctions Overshadow Earnings

U.S. stocks fell as President Barack Obama announced new sanctions against Russia and warned its actions in Ukraine are “setting back decades of progress,” snuffing out earlier gains led by telephone stocks.

United Parcel Service Inc. slid 3.7 percent after cutting its full-year forecast. Windstream Holdings Inc. surged 12 percent on plans to spin off assets into a publicly traded real estate investment trust. Masco Corp. and Merck & Co. gained after reporting earnings that topped analysts’ projections. Twitter Inc. soared 33 percent after the market’s close as second-quarter revenue beat estimates.