Stocks were mostly higher in New York yesterday, but bluechip issues retreated after an early rally, undermining the market's attempted rebound from Monday's sell-off.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 18.68 points - or 0.2 per cent - at 8,898.96 after swinging from an early 89-point gain to a 54-point loss.
Broader stock measures also pulled back from the morning's highs, but several finished modestly higher. The Nasdaq composite index posted the biggest gain after suffering the heaviest damage on Monday.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3-to-2 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,826 up, 1,179 down and 492 unchanged.
The Standard and Poor's 500stock list slipped 0.65 to 1,085.89, but the NYSE composite index rose 0.51 to 563.56.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 3.83 to 472.33, and the American Stock Exchange composite index rose 4.03 to 733.03.
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