US stocks mostly fell today as mixed reports on home prices and consumer confidence gave investors little incentive to step into the market.

US stocks extended their gains today with a modest advance as investors weighed fresh economic data, including a sharp drop in new home sales, for clues as to whether more interest rate cuts are in the offing.

Wall Street gave up a big advance and turned lower today as investors suffered a renewed case of the jitters ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting on interest rates later this week.