Dow closes near 4-month low as U.S. stocks drop

Dow closes near 4-month low as U.S. stocks drop
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks declined Tuesday as economic reports failed to deflect the latest breakdown in Greece's attempts to form a coalition. "Today we had some good economic numbers, but worries over in euro land" hit the euro, said Peter Cardillo, chief economist at Rockwell Global Capital. The euro's fall helped propel the dollar to a four-month high as investors sought the perceived safety of the American currency over riskier assets, including equities and commodities. The Dow industrials (DJIJIA) fell 63.35 points, or 0.5%, to 12,632.00. The S&P 500 (SNC:SPX) dropped 7.69 points, or 0.6%, to 1,330.66. The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ:COMP) shed 8.82 points, or 0.3%, to 2,893.76.