Merck, Apple Inc. share losses lead Dow’s 37-point drop

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is trading down Monday afternoon with shares of Merck and Apple Inc. delivering the stiffest headwinds for the blue-chip average. The Dow
DJIA,
+0.01%
was most recently trading 37 points, or 0.1%, lower, as shares of Merck
MRK,
-1.93%
and Apple Inc.
AAPL,
-1.29%
are contributing to the blue-chip gauge’s intraday decline. Merck’s shares are down $2.01 (2.1%) while those of Apple Inc. are down $2.89 (1.9%), combining for a roughly 32-point drag on the Dow. Also contributing significantly to the decline are Johnson & Johnson
JNJ,
-1.42%,
Amgen Inc.
AMGN,
-1.14%,
and Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ,
-0.87%.
A $1 move in any of the index’s 30 components equates to a 6.59-point swing.