Dow sees first back-to-back losses in a month as Apple retakes $3 trillion

U.S. stocks finished mostly lower on Tuesday, with the Dow logging back-to-back losses for the first time in nearly a month, while a rally in megacap technology stocks helped boost the Nasdaq. Apple Inc.’s
AAPL,
+2.11%
gains on Tuesday saw it end the session with a market capitalization north of $3 trillion for the first time since early August, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500
SPX,
-0.06%
fell by 2.60 points, or 0.1%, to 4,567.18, according to preliminary closing data from FactSet. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-0.22%
fell by 79.88 points, or 0.2%, to 36,124.56. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
+0.31%
gained 44.42 points, or 0.3%, to 14,229.91. U.S. stocks rallied hard in November, with the S&P 500 rising more than 11% for its best monthly gain of the year, and one of its best monthly advances over the past decade. But markets have pulled back early this week, raising questions about whether the rally can continue, market strategists said.