Stocks Edge Up in Balancing Act

Stocks rose slightly today as retail woes were somewhat offset by August home sales that outperformed expectations, MarketWatch reports. Led by Microsoft, which rode the release of “Halo 3” to a 1.5% jump, the Dow climbed 19.59 to 13,778.65. The S&P dipped 0.52 to 1,517.21, and the Nasdaq closed at 2,683.45, up 15.50.

Home Depot dropped 2.4% and Wal-Mart fell 2.0%. Investors continued to wonder whether the Fed would cut rates again, even as a drop in forecasts for Target and Lowe's spelled new danger. One strategist was particularly surprised by the bad reports from the retailers: It “ignites one of our biggest fears, which is the slowdown of consumer spending." (More stock market stories.)