US stocks slip Tuesday

Stocks slipped slightly in New York Tuesday, sending a Dow Jones industrial average a touch further from breaching the 16,000 level at close. The Dow Jones industrial average topped 16,000 points for the first time in its history Monday in intra-day trading. For the second consecutive day, however, it closed shy of that milestone. The Dow ended the day off 8.99 points or 0.06 percent at 15,967.03. The Standard & Poor's 500 index retreated, as well, dropping 3.66 points or 0.2 percent to close at 1,787.87, just shy of a record close above 1,800. On the New York Stock Exchange, 965 issues advanced and 2,112 declined on total volume of 3.219 billion shares. The Nasdaq closed off 17.51 points or 0.44 percent to 3,931.55. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index dropped 37.74 points or 0.25 percent to 15,126.56. In London, the FTSE 100 shed 25.45 or 0.38 percent, to close at 6,698.01. On currency markets, the euro was trading lower at $1.3537, while the dollar rose to 100.14 yen. Ten-year benchmark treasuries fell 12/32 to yield 2.714 percent at the close of trading. In late trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil added 35 cents to $93.38 per barrel. On the Comex division, gold gained $2.50 to $1,274.80 per troy ounce while silver was steady at $20.355 per ounce.