US stocks sank for a second day Tuesday as the fourth quarter earnings season opened and as confidence slipped after last week's big gains.
At the closing bell the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 55.44 points (0.41 percent) at 13,328.85.
The broad-based S&P 500 fell 4.72 (0.32 percent) to 1,457.17, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 7.00 (0.23 percent) at 3,091.81.
The fall paralleled the trend around the world, with markets in Asia and Europe mostly finishing modestly lower in the absence of much positive news.
