MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stock Slip A Day After Nasdaq Tops 5,000

By Victor Reklaitis and Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

Monthly car sales are among Tuesday's highlights

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks pulled back Tuesday, catching their breath a day after the Nasdaq settled above the psychologically significant 5,000 level and other benchmarks closed at records.

The S&P 500 (SPX) dipped by 9 points, or 0.4%, to 2,108, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) lost 63 points, or 0.3%, to 18,226. The S&P and Dow on Monday both scored all-time closing highs.

The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) fell by 24 points, or 0.5%, to 4,984. The tech-heavy benchmark on Monday closed at 5,008.10 on Monday, only 0.8% short of its record close of 5,048.62 hit on March 10, 2000. That was also its first finish above 5,000 since the Internet stock bubble's bursting 15 years ago.

"Stock markets have dropped back a bit today in normal backing and filling after yesterday's rally to a new all-time high for the Dow and the NASDAQ Composite reaching 5,000 for the first time in 15 years," said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at CMC Markets, in a note Tuesday.

Check out: 7 charts showing how the Nasdaq's changed since the tech crash 15 years ago (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-ways-the-nasdaqs-changed-since-the-tech-crash-2015-02-27)

Notable individual movers:AutoZone Inc.(AZO) and Best Buy Co.(BBY) were among the biggest gainers in the S&P 500 after their upbeat earnings reports.

Mylan NV(MYL) and Ford Motor Co. (F) were among the S&P's biggest decliners. Mylan late Monday delivered a quarterly report that roughly matched Wall Street's forecasts, while Ford reported that its February U.S. vehicle sales fell 1.9% from a year ago (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ford-motors-stock-falls-after-february-us-sales-decline-2015-03-03).

Shares of McDermott International Inc.(MDR) soared after the oilfield-engineering company late Monday posted a surprise profit for the fourth quarter (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcdermott-shares-jump-on-surprise-earnings-2015-03-02).

Read more about Tuesday's jumpiest stocks in Movers & Shakers (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/best-buy-autozone-kate-spade-earnings-in-focus-2015-03-02)

Tuesday's economic news: No top-tier data releases are on tap Tuesday, but investors will be taking in monthly auto-sales figures and a speech by Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen.

Economists polled by MarketWatch expect total sales to have climbed to 16.7 million in February, up from 16.6 million in January. Yellen is set to deliver a speech on bank regulation and supervision in New York City at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.

Other markets:European stock markets slipped (http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid), while Asian stocks closed mixed (http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid), with China's Shanghai Composite Index sliding 2.2%.

Crude-oil futures (CLJ5) were little changed and traded near $50 a barrel (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-ticks-higher-but-stays-volatile-2015-03-03). Gold rose (http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid), and the dollar (DXY) dipped against major rivals.

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