Wall Street dips as investors move to lock in profits

Wall Street finished slightly lower today after investors sold shares when major stock indexes pushed through to new highs during the session.

Investors were at first driven by relief that Asian markets recovered from a major sell-off on Tuesday, and were encouraged by a barrage of corporate profit reports and takeover deals. During the session, this pushed the Dow Jones industrials index past its previous record close, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose to levels not seen in six years.