Stocks closed solidly lower as Macy's led a rout in retail stocks, the AP reports. The department store slashed its profit forecast Wednesday after reporting a steep drop in earnings. Macy's dropped 15% and other retailers also lost ground. Office Depot plunged 40% and Staples lost 18% after a judge blocked their merger. In other company news, Electronic Arts jumped 14% and Blue Buffalo Pet Products rose 8% after beating estimates. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 217 points, or 1.2%, to 17,711. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up 19 points, or 1%, to 2,064. The Nasdaq composite index slipped 49 points, or 1%, to 4,760. (More Dow Jones stories.)