U.S. stock indexes take biggest hit since Aug. 2

U.S. stock indexes take biggest hit since Aug. 2
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks declined Tuesday, with the S&P 500 index (SNC:SPX) retreating from a four-year high as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares turned lower, overtaking optimism about Europe. "When Apple started to give back too much of its intraday gains, the Nasdaq futures gave it all back and Apple turned from a 10-point gain to a 9-point loss before stabilizing," said Elliot Spar, market strategist at Stifel Nicolaus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIJIA) dropped 68.06 points, or 0.5%, to 13,203.58. The S&P 500 index lost 4.96 points, or 0.4%, to 1,413.17. The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ:COMP) fell 8.95 points, or 0.3%, to 3,067.26