Hurt by Retail Report, Stocks Ease Off Recent Highs

Pulling back from their recent hot streak, stocks declined modestly Tuesday afternoon amid disappointment with a weaker-than-expected retail sales report. Today's Markets As of 2:01 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 47.79 points, or 0.39%, to 12220.17, the Standard & Poor's 500 declined 4.36 points, or 0.33%, to 1327.96 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 9.08 points, or 0.33%, to 2808.06. The FOX 50 slid 4.13 points, or 0.44%, to 944.42. Aside from the economic headlines, traders were also digesting a big development on the M&A front as Big Board parent NYSE Euronext NYX agreed to sell itself to Deutsche Boerse. The losses come after Wall Street closed with a mixed picture on Monday as the Dow inched slightly lower, but the S&P 500 landed at fresh two and-a-half-year highs. Continue reading the article.