Dow’s nearly 125-point drop led by losses in Merck, Apple Inc. stocks

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is falling Monday afternoon with shares of Merck and Apple Inc. delivering the stiffest headwinds for the blue-chip average. The Dow
DJIA,
+0.15%
was most recently trading 120 points lower (-0.4%), as shares of Merck
MRK,
-2.93%
and Apple Inc.
AAPL,
+1.35%
are contributing to the blue-chip gauge’s intraday decline. Merck’s shares are off $1.87, or 2.0%, while those of Apple Inc. have dropped $2.89, or 1.9%, combining for an approximately 31-point drag on the Dow. Also contributing significantly to the decline are Johnson & Johnson
JNJ,
-0.57%,
Amgen Inc.
AMGN,
-0.28%,
and Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ,
-2.74%.
A $1 move in any one of the 30 components of the Dow results in a 6.59-point swing.