Car sales red flag | OxyContin $270 million settlement | Tech's earnings issue

There's something just around the corner that could put the brakes on the stock market rally.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, MAR 26, 2019 EVENING BRIEF AS OF TUE, MAR 26, 2019 • 04:14 ET DJIA 25657.73 +0.55% +140.90 S&P 500 2818.46 +0.72% +20.10 NASDAQ 7691.52 +0.71% +53.98   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 186.79 -1.95 -1.03% MSFT 117.91 +0.25 +0.21% PFE 42.42 +0.53 +1.27% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 25.69 -0.28 -1.08% BAC 27.21 +0.37 +1.38% AAPL 186.79 -1.95 -1.03% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 25.69 -0.28 -1.08% AAPL 186.79 -1.95 -1.03% SIRI 5.70 -0.05 -0.87%   EDITOR'S NOTE Stocks tried to rebound Tuesday from recent worries about the economy triggered by an inversion of the yield curve, a recession indicator. But the bounce, initially led by technology stocks like Apple, didn't quite take with major indexes closing off their highs. It's possible, now that the first quarter is coming to a close and earnings results are just around the corner, investors have turned their attention from macroeconomic concerns to profits. After all, earnings are supposed to drive stock prices. In the chart below, you'll see the earnings picture is not all that great. Jeff Cox points out that technology stocks specifically are giving negative forecasts about the first quarter at a pace not seen in six years. For this first quarter, analysts now expect earnings to decline for S&P 500 companies by 3.7 percent. Yet the S&P 500 remains up more than 11 percent this year and tech stocks are up even more. Either earnings need to turn around in the subsequent quarters or this comeback doesn't quite add up and the yield curve is right. If the bond market recession signal is correct, Kate Rooney has the kinds of stocks that outperform and underperform in the environment leading up to recession. John Melloy | CNBC Investing Editor @JohnMelloy TOP NEWS  Stocks rise slightly, but worries over economic slowdown dampen sentiment on Wall Street US auto sales are falling as prices for new vehicles jump to highest ever OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and Sackler family agree to pay $270 million to settle Oklahoma state opioid case House fails to override Trump's veto on bill that would have blocked his national emergency Goldman says investors are looking at the wrong bond market indicator and a recession is less likely Oprah Winfrey had the best explanation for what the weird Apple TV event was really about GOP begins grassroots campaign to sell Trump's trade deal with Mexico and Canada to skeptical voters and lawmakers Wall Street calls Apple event a dud: 'Expect the focus to return to the slowing iPhone business' Apple's new credit card holds a lot of promise, but read the fine print before signing up Watch Wednesday's trade data to see how China conflict is affecting US trade gap   CNBC PRO JP Morgan: Don't panic about profit margins     TOP VIDEO Tech investor Ann Winblad talks Uber's Careem acquisition, Apple's streaming service   SPECIAL REPORTS Are you seeking top-rated responsible investing funds? There's a rating for that Here's what could bring an end to the market's IPO high, according to one expert   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2019 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBC Universal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS