U.S. Stocks Fall Slightly Amid China Talks, Deal News
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks fell back slightly on Tuesday, as investors consolidated some of the market's strong gains, amid talks aimed at easing economic tensions between the U.S. and China and signs that deal making continues unabated, this time in the casino industry.
"There's a lot of [mergers and acquisitions] activity out there, and it's an underlying support for the market," said Jay Suskind, director of trading at Ryan Beck & Co. "But we're trading sideways because there doesn't seem to be that much news and no macro economic data to guide us."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gyrated between positive and negative territory, and was last down 7 points at 13,536, as 16 of its 30 components retreated, weighed by the likes of Home Depot Inc. , Honeywell International Inc. , JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Microsoft Corp. .
On the upside were shares of Alcoa Inc. , Caterpillar Inc. , and Merck & Co. Inc. .
Intel Corp. also rose 0.8% after it agreed to sell its money-losing NOR flash chip business into a new partnership with STMicroelectronics and Francisco Partners.
Investors also welcomed crude oil falling back below $66 a barrel, a level it topped n Monday. Crude futures had rallied as violence in Nigeria, Lebanon and Israel, along with concerns over supply led oil to a three-session win of 6%.
"The focus on M & A activity and global growth outweighed the rally in crude," said Marc Pado, market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald. "However, an appreciation of the dollar, should it persist, could weigh on those large-cap multinational stocks, which have led this bull market."
Amid a slowing U.S. economy, investors have piled into the stocks of multinationals which derive profits overseas and benefit from a weaker dollar when they convert earnings.
The S&P 500 dropped 2.4 point to 1,522. On Monday, the broad index briefly traded at 1,529, two points above its all-time closing high of March 2000, before closing at 1,525.
The Nasdaq Composite eased 2.0 points to 2,576. It jumped to a six-year high on Tuesday, but the tech-heavy index remains 50% below its record high of 5,048, also reached in March 2000.
Trading volumes showed 568 million exchanging hands on the New York Stock Exchange and 768 million trading on the Nasdaq. Advancing issues topped decliners by 15 to 14 on the NYSE and by 7 to 6 on the Nasdaq.
By sector, airlines , real estate investment trusts , and biotechnology led the gains, while gold , oil services and banks fell.
More deals
MGM Mirage jumped 30% to $81.95. Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's firm Tracinda Corp. said it's in talks to buy two of MGM's best-known Las Vegas landmarks, the Bellagio and CityCenter.
Elsewhere, subprime mortgage lender Fremont General said it's proposing to sell its commercial real estate lending business and outstanding loan portfolio to iStar Financial for $1.9 billion.
Whole Foods Markets extended its tender offer for Wild Oats Markets to June 20 from May 22. Whole Foods agreed to buy Wild Oats for roughly $565 million. It noted that members of the Federal Trade Commission staff voiced concerns about perceived anticompetitive effects. The FTC hasn't decided whether to challenge the deal.
Harbinger offered to buy 40.8 million shares it doesn't already own in OpenWave Systems for $8.30 a share. The fund manager plans to recommend replacing the company's management and board and then buying BridgePort.
China takes center stage
With no key economic reports Tuesday, markets will be paying close attention to talks between U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese government officials. China last week widened the daily trading band for the yuan against the dollar in what many saw as a symbolic gesture.
The Chinese government also in an unprecedented move said it would put $3 billion of its massive foreign exchange holdings to wok by investing in The Blackstone Group, a leveraged buyout firm preparing an initial public offering.
Other markets
The dollar was nearly flat against key rivals. Gold fell slightly, along with crude oil, and Treasury bonds fell back, sending yields higher.
Corporate news
After the closing bell, Computer Sciences , Medtronic and Analog Devices are due to report results.
Pacific Sunwear , the teen-apparel retailer, said first-quarter sales surpassed expectations.
Dynegy dropped 4.7% after Chevron said it would sell 96.9 million Class A shares in an underwritten offering.
Staples reported a 12% profit rise on 8% sales growth in the first quarter, helped by sales of laptop computers.
Tech Data reported a 23% profit decline but 9% sales growth, while Autozone reported a 5% profit rise on 4% sales growth.
By Nick Godt