Citigroup earnings put the brakes on Wall St rally

Wall Street’s rally skidded to a halt today after weaker-than-expected earnings from Citigroup Inc. raised questions about other companies’ second-quarter results – but a drop in oil prices limited the market’s decline.

With two weeks of earnings reports ahead, Citigroup’s profits punctured some of the optimism that lifted stocks last week. The nation’s largest financial institution said challenging market conditions, especially in its fixed-income trading, left it with earnings 5 cents below Wall Street expectations.