A monthslong selloff in the stock market has accelerated lately, with the pain spreading beyond technology shares and speculative corners of the market. Recently, even consumer-staples companies, which had been relatively shielded from the turmoil, have taken a hit.
Major indexes are hovering near their lows of the year, with the S&P 500 down 18%, including a 3.1% decline so far this week. The index’s consumer-staples sector—home to companies including
,
,
Coca-Cola Co.
and
—has dropped 8.9% over the past four sessions.
Many investors say they have been struck by the length and sheer magnitude of the recent selloff, which is in its fifth month and has been characterized by sharp intraday…
