Stocks tumbled on Wednesday, erasing the year-to-date gains of at least two major indexes and proving that a number of market-wide and industry-specific headwinds are still weighing heavily on the minds of investors as a brutal October on Wall Street trudges along.The S&P 500 fell 3.1% on the day and turned red for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 606 points, also bringing it below its 2017 close. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 4.4% and finished in correction territory.The FAANG stocks—Facebook FB, Amazon AMZN, Apple AAPL, Netflix NFLX, and Alphabet GOOGL—all fell sharply on the day.Microsoft MSFT and Tesla TSLA, which reported earnings after the bell, dropped during regular hours but did see after-hours pops in the initial response to their announcements.Investors were eager to sell today as murky macroeconomic conditions and fresh corporate reports underscored many of Wall Street’s recent fears.The latest data from Caterpillar CAT showed once again that ongoing trade disputes and new tariffs are causing input costs for industrials to rise, while semiconductor giant Texas Instruments TXN warned that demand for chips was weakening (also read: Did Texas Instruments' Earnings Just Spell Doom for Chip Stocks?).Just five of the 30 components of the Dow remained in the green today: Procter & Gamble PG, Boeing BA, Coca-Cola KO, Verizon VZ, and McDonald’s MCD.Boeing was lifted by the aerospace giant’s strong earnings announcement before the bell. The company managed to beat estimates on the top and bottom lines and raise its full-year guidance.Other notable stocks booking gains during the selling include Dollar General DG, which touched a new 52-week high earlier in the day; General Mills GIS, a popular defensive play that has added over 1.5% in the past five days; and Kimberly Clark KMB.The Dow’s biggest losers during regular hours were United Technologies UTX, Caterpillar, and Microsoft.Some of the day’s volatility could also be blamed on the latest new home sales figures, which hit a near two-year low.“The housing numbers were not good,” JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, said via CNBC. “There’s a lot of uncertainty heading into the end of the year. It just feels like people feel more comfortable spending short-term rather than long term.”Investors will now look for respite from some of the market’s top performers throughout the course of the bull market, including soon-to-report tech behemoth Amazon. Analysts are expecting the e-commerce leader to post earnings growth of 533% and revenue growth of 30%, according to our latest consensus estimates.Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.It's not the one you think.See This Ticker Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB): Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Facebook, Inc. (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report The Boeing Company (BA): Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report Coca-Cola Company (The) (KO): Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report United Technologies Corporation (UTX): Free Stock Analysis Report General Mills, Inc. (GIS): Free Stock Analysis Report Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Moelis & Company (MC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research