Stocks Decline, S&P 500 Drops Below 2,000

U.S. stocks slipped for a second straight day on Tuesday as investors worked through a bundle of news from Apple, Home Depot and General Mills.  At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 97.55 points, or 0.57%, to 17,013.87. The Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 13.10 points, or 0.65%, to 1,988.44. The Nasdaq composite declined 40.00 points, or 0.87%, to 4,552.29.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) unveiled the next versions of the iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and a wearable device called — not the iWatch — but the Apple Watch.

Home Depot said the data theft could impact its customers in stores across the United States and Canada, but there was no evidence that online customers were affected or debit personal identification numbers (PINs) were compromised.

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) announced a deal after Tuesday’s close to acquire organic and natural food maker Annies Inc (NASDAQ: BNNY) for $46 per share in cash.

McDonald’s Corp. said its global sales fell 3.7% in August as problems with one of its suppliers in Asia drove a precipitous drop in sales in the region and the core U.S. market continued struggling as well.