Stocks fell slightly Monday as investors sifted through another batch of earnings and economic data, looking for signs of where interest rates are headed, according to AP. The Commerce Department said that in March, personal income rose 0.7 percent, slightly more than anticipated, while personal spending increased 0.3 percent, less than the forecast. Core personal consumption expenditures inflation _ a gauge of cost of living _ rose 0.4 percent, as expected. Year-over-year, core PCE inflation rose 2.1 percent. The core PCE inflation figure is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. The central bank has said it remains concerned about rising prices even as the economy slows, and it has left open the possibility that interest rates, which have been stable since last summer, could move higher. Meanwhile, more stronger-than-expected earnings from companies including Verizon Communications, Kellogg Co. and RadioShack Corp. failed to encourage investors to drive stocks higher. The stock market has soared over the last two weeks as first-quarter financial results beat analyst forecasts; now that investors have priced in a strong earnings season, they are searching for new reasons to either keep buying or sell off. In the first hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 13.17, or 0.10 percent, to 13,107.77. Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 1.65, or 0.11 percent, to 1,492.42, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 7.73, or 0.30 percent, to 2,549.48. Gold prices rose, while the dollar was narrowly mixed. Light, sweet crude fell 62 cents to $65.84 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. -- SPA
