Stocks limp lower at the open as the U.S. dollar slumps

U.S. stocks slumped Tuesday, pushing the three main benchmarks off records set Monday, as the dollar weakened against most major currencies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 44 points, or 0.2%, to 18,591, the S&P 500 index gave up 4 points, or 0.2%, at 2,185, while the Nasdaq Composite Index, slipped 14 points, or 0.3%, at 5,247. The dollar, as gauged by the U.S. ICE Dollar Index , was down 0.6% at 94.68. Against the yen , the buck dipped below the psychologically significant level of ¥100, but had recovered somewhat. In companies news, Home Depot Inc. was trading modestly higher after the do-it-yourself retailer reported same-store sales up by 5.4% in the second quarter.

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