NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are falling a day after the Dow Jones industrial average rose 254 points, its fourth-largest gain this year.
Indexes got a strong start to the week as it became clear that Tropical Storm Irene caused far less damage than many had feared. By Tuesday, investors were selling.
One reason: Consumer confidence likely fell in August. A report due out at 10 a.m. is expected to show that confidence dropped to its lowest level since October 2010 because of the wild swings in the stock market earlier this month.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow is down 37 points, or 0.3 percent, at 11,502. The Standard & Poor’s 500 is down 5, or 0.4 percent, at 1,205. The Nasdaq composite is down 7, or 0.3 percent, at 2,555.
