Benchmarks Fare: Points and Earnings Season

benchmarks fare: The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, 0.30% shed 8.15 points, or 0.1%, to 7,976.01, according to Market Watch. What drove the market Goldman Sachs Group Inc.GS, 0.97% and Citigroup Inc.C, 2.86% reported quarterly results as earnings season gets under way, though the week will be shortened by the Easter holiday. How did the benchmarks fare The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, 0.26% fell 27.53 points, or 0.1%, to 26,384.77 and the S&P 500 SPX, 0.05% dropped 1.83 points to 2,905.58. Both banks showed sharp declines in earnings, compared with the first-quarter of last year, but were able to surpass analysts' low expectations for quarterly profits. Blue-chip Goldman shares were down 2.3% Monday, weighing heavily on the Dow, while Citi shares rose 0.1% Analysts expect first-quarter earnings numbers for the S&P 500 to suffer the first year-over-year decline in nearly three years as macroeconomic headwinds continue to pull down estimates from analysts. On the revenue front, Goldman fell short of estimates while Citigroup matched, underscoring muted trading and mergers-and-acquisition activity on Wall Street in the first quarter. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.