Stocks Ended Mixed, Apple Hit Nasdaq

U.S. stocks closed with a gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average but losses for the other indexes on Monday. Tech stocks, particularly Apple Inc. dragged on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. Boosted by strong retail sales data, the Dow average ended up 71.82 points, or 0.56%, at 12,921.41. The S&P 500 fell 0.69 point, or 0.05%, to 1,369.57. The Nasdaq Composite fell 22.93 points, or 0.76%, to 2,988.40.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares fell $25.10, or more than 4%, to close Monday at $580.13, capping five-straight days of declines for the world’s most-valuable company. Over that period, Apple shares have fallen almost 9%.

The lesson from Monday’s economic data is that the U.S. economy is still in limbo, growing in that middling range that’s neither fast nor slow.

Yahoo Inc. will report its first-quarter results Tuesday afternoon, though the actual numbers are expected to command far less attention than the comments from new CEO Scott Thompson.

Jim Yong Kim, an American who is president of Dartmouth College, has been chosen to be the next president of the World Bank. His selection extends the U.S. hold on the top job at the 187-nation development agency.