Wall St. slips on day after S&P hits record high

By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday, easing back from record territory a day earlier as weak economic data offset gains in Home Depot and other retail shares. Selling picked up slightly late in the session as traders unwound positions after the S&P 500 failed to break above Monday's intraday record high of 1,858.71, analysts said. "We tried to break out again and retest the highs, and since we failed, people are lightening up their positions they took earlier," said Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut. Home Depot shares jumped 4 percent to close at $80.98, giving the biggest boost to both the Dow and the S&P 500.