NEW YORK—Most stocks slipped on Wall Street Tuesday, but the market hung near its best level in 20 months following mixed reports that kept alive questions about whether the U.S. economy can pull off a perfect landing where it snuffs out high inflation but avoids a recession.
The S&P 500 edged down by 2.60 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,567.18 for its first back-to-back loss since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 79.88, or 0.2 percent, to 36,124.56, and the Nasdaq composite rose 44.42, or 0.3 percent, to 14,229.91.