NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks are inching lower in early trading Tuesday, extending a slump that has brought the market lower for the past four trading days.
Corporate news was mixed. Most companies have now reported their third-quarter results, and reports from retailers are coming in. That should give investors some insight into how the holiday shopping season is shaping up.
KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial was down 24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,705 as of 10:07 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell two points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,076. The Nasdaq composite gave up 29 points, or 0.6 percent, to 5,066.
The Dow and S&P 500 fell about 1 percent Monday on concerns the global economy could be slowing. That was their biggest decline in six weeks.
EARNINGS: Gap plunged $1.42, or 5.1 percent, to $26.27 after the company posted disappointing results for October, including lower overall sales. Rockwell Automation fell $4.34, or 4 percent, to $103.45 after the industrial equipment and software maker’s earnings came in short of what analysts were looking for.