Dow recovers after slide

US stocks fell at midday yesterday as a mixed profit report and outlook from number 2 retailer Home Depot unnerved investors already concerned about the health of the holiday retail season.

At around 11:30am the Nasdaq composite, down 15.36 to 1378.33, still suffered but the Dow Jones industrial average, down 35.79 to 8450.78, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index, down 4.16 to 896.20, both recouped some ground after sliding deeper in the first half hour of trade.

“What we have been seeing for the last week is a drying up of sentiment as investors wait for some definitive resolution of world events, and some new corporate catalysts,” said Scotty George, chief investment strategist at Corinthian Partners Asset Management.