Basic materials stocks face a copper reality check after the long weekend as XLB slips
Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) fell 0.6% Friday as copper retreated from record highs, dragging basic materials stocks lower. Freeport-McMoRan dropped 2.1%, Dow lost 1.4%, and Alcoa slid nearly 5.9%. U.S. markets will close Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reopening Tuesday. Investors await Alcoa’s earnings on Jan. 22 and watch copper prices for further direction.