Stocks lose momentum in afternoon trading; S&P down 0.1%

By ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writer

Stock indexes are mixed on Wall Street in afternoon trading Tuesday, placing the market within striking distance of another record high as investors close out their positions for 2021. The S&P 500 was up 0.1%. The benchmark index is coming off an all-time high on Monday, when it posted its fourth straight gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq was down 0.4%. A slide in technology, health care and communication stocks outweighed gains in industrial firms, banks and elsewhere in the market. Small company stocks also fell. US crude oil rose. Bond yields were mostly lower.