Stocks Slump Amid Deluge Of Corporate Results, Ahead Of Apple's Earnings

U.S. stocks on Tuesday slipped lower amid a tsunami of corporate results that offered a mixed picture of earnings and the health of the U.S. economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading down 18, or 0.1%, at 18,205, the S&P 500 index was down 3 points, or 0.2%, at 2,147, while the Nasdaq Composite Index , which has benefited from some better-than-expected results from tech companies, was off about 5 points, or 0.1%, at 5,303. The tech-laden index is about 0.6% away from its record of 5,339.52 hit on Sept. 22. In corporate news, Apple Inc. shares are in focus, with the iPhone maker set to release quarterly results after Tuesday's close of trading. Elsewhere. Under Armour shares were under pressure after the athletic gear maker issued a profit warning following its third-quarter results on Tuesday. On the economic front, U.S home prices rose 0.4% in August, and were up 5.1% compared with a year ago, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City index. Tuesday's trading action follows a wave of announcements of corporate mergers, headlined by AT&T's proposed megadeal with Time Warner Inc. .