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A bad day for bank stocks pulled the Dow Jones industrial average to its third straight loss Tuesday as many of the patterns that have propelled markets since Election Day last year snapped into reverse.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 58.96 points, or 0.3 percent, to 19,826.77, cutting into the gain it had made since Donald Trump's surprise victory in November. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.75, or 0.3 percent, to 2,267.89. The Nasdaq composite fell 35.39, or 0.6 percent, to 5,538.73.

The main culprit for the weakness was the financial sector, whose 2.3 percent drop was nearly triple that of any of the other 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500. The losses came even though Morgan Stanley on Tuesday morning joined the list of banks to report better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter.

Companies that sell everyday items to consumers logged the biggest gains of the day, with those in the S&P 500 up 1.3 percent. They're also the ones that have struggled the most since Election Day.

Utility stocks, which have also lagged the market since Election Day, did well. Those in the S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent, aided by the drop in Treasury yields. When bonds are paying less in interest, dividend-paying stocks become more attractive to income investors, and utilities have some of the largest dividend yields.

NRG Energy rose 74 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $15.34 and was one of the top-performing stocks in the S&P 500 after an investment firm run by activist investor Paul Singer disclosed an ownership stake.

The biggest gain in the S&P 500 came from Noble Energy, which rose $2.66, or 7.1 percent, to $40.05. The oil and gas company agreed to buy Clayton Williams Energy for $2.7 billion in stock and cash.

The dollar also fell against most of its rivals, including the Japanese yen, euro and Canadian dollar. Its sharpest drop came against the British pound, which rallied after British Prime Minister Theresa May gave a highly anticipated speech about her country's pending departure from the European Union. One British pound bought $1.2396 as of Tuesday afternoon, up sharply from $1.2190 late Friday.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 11 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $52.48 per barrel. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 39 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $55.47.

Natural gas fell a fraction of a penny to $3.412 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $16.70 to $1,212.90 per ounce, up 1.4 percent. Silver rose 38 cents to $17.15 per ounce, and copper fell 1 cent to $2.63 per pound.