US markets stumble hard Tuesday

Stocks took a beating in New York Tuesday with investors pondering disappointing third-quarter reports and ongoing economic struggles. In a two-day stretch without a significant economic report to divert anyone's attention, investors were contemplating DuPont's July through September results, the latest in a string of blue-chip firms that came in under expectations. In early-afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gave up 214.29 points, 1.61 percent, to 13,131.60. The Nasdaq composite index shed 17.61 points or 0.58 percent to 2,999.35. The Standard and Poor's 500 index dropped 18.02 points or 1.26 percent to 1,415.80. The benchmark 10-year treasury note rose 17/32 to yield 1.759 percent. The euro fell to $1.2972 from Monday's $1.3061. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 79.82 yen from 79.96 yen. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index added 0.04 percent, 3.54 points, to 9,014.25. In London, the FTSE 100 index lost 1.44 percent, 85 points, to 5,797.91.