LEADING US shares slipped after trying to extend a week-long rally that had recouped nearly 300 points of the past month's 700-point slide by the Dow Jones industrial average.

On Wall Street, the Dow dropped 21.27 points to close at 6,658.60, having retreated from a 33-point gain that would have put the blue-chip barometer above 6,700 for the first time in three weeks.

Broad-market indicators were mixed. The struggling Nasdaq market posted the biggest gains amid some bargain hunting among depressed technology shares.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a narrow margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,283 up, 1,211 down and 809 unchanged.

NYSE volume totalled 502.81 million shares as of 4p.m., Vs. 498.82 million in the previous session.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 6.79 to 1,217.06, and the American Stock Exchanged composite index fell 0.99 to 555.52.