Wall Street retreated again today, extending its losses into a fourth session despite better-than-expected earnings from The Home Depot and a brokerage firm upgrade for General Electric Co.

Lacking major earnings or economic news to guide them, investors fell back on profit-taking today, sending stocks sharply lower and knocking the Dow Jones industrials down more than 120 points.

Wall Street extended its big rally today, propelling the Dow Jones industrials up 122 points despite the absence of economic or earnings news to guide investors.

Investors, increasingly anxious about a possible war with Iraq, unloaded stocks today, collecting profits from Wall Street’s two-day rally.

A weaker-than-expected consumer confidence report gave Wall Street another reason to sell today, intensifying a pullback that began with investors cashing in recent profits.