U.S. stocks fell Tuesday after a private-industry manufacturing index declined more than anticipated. The National Association of Purchasing Management in Chicago said demand for commodities such as aluminium and steel might drop. The group's Business Barometer plummeted 11.5 points to 54.1 in May. However, U.S. consumer confidence rose unexpectedly in May, the first such increase this year, a private research group said. The New York-based Conference Board announced that its consumer confidence index, which is based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households, increased 4.7 points to 102.2. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 75.07 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 10,467.48. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 7.27 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 1,191.51, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 7.51 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 2,068.22. On currency markets, the dollar rose against the euro following the rejection of the E.U. constitution in France. It closed at 81.268 euro cents from 79.498 euro cents on Friday. The U.S. currency also gained against the Japanese yen, increasing to 108.52 yen from 107.98 yen on Friday. The markets were closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Gold fell 3.80 dollars, trading at 414.45 dollars per fine ounce. --SP 0010 Local Time 2110 GMT
