US stocks opened lower Tuesday after Hewlett-Packard reported a quarterly loss due in part to a massive writedown, offsetting fresh data signaling recovery in the housing market.
After a triple-digit gain Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 52.60 points (0.41 percent) to 12,743.36 in the first 15 minutes of trade (1445 GMT).
The S&P 500-stock index dropped 4.17 points (0.30 percent) to 1,382.72, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite slipped 6.21 (0.21 percent) to 2,909.86.
Charles Schwab & Co. analysts said stocks were lower after Dow member HP announced an $8.8 billion charge related to alleged accounting improprieties at Autonomy Corp, which HP acquired in August 2011 for over $10 billion.
On Monday, stocks scored solid gains on upbeat housing data and hopes that politicians will find a way to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts in January.
The jump was underpinned by Apple, the most valuable public company, which took a 7.2 percent bounce to $565.73, following weeks of losses.
The Dow rose 1.65 percent, the S&P 500 added 1.99 percent) and the Nasdaq leaped 2.21 percent.
