Disappointing earnings from several big U.S. companies put investors in a selling mood Tuesday, giving the stock market its first broad decline in four days.
IBM and United Technologies were among the companies whose latest quarterly report cards fell short of Wall Street's expectations or included dimmer outlooks. Telecommunications stocks were among the biggest decliners.
The Dow Jones industrial average slumped 181.12 points, or 1 percent, to 17,919.29. The S&P 500 index lost 9.07 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,119.21.
The Nasdaq composite slid 10.74 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,208.12. The tech-heavy index closed at a record high the previous two days.
The three major stock indexes remain up for the year.