U.S. stock benchmarks got off to a weak start on Tuesday, pulling back from records put in on Monday, as data showed retail sales fell more than expected in July and as shares of Dow component Home Depot were falling sharply. In economic reports, retail sales fell 1.1% in July, and were down 0.4% after excluding autos. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had penciled in a 0.3% monthly drop in sales in July, or a 0.2% gain when autos are excluded. Meanwhile, U.S. industrial output was up 0.9% in July. Against that backdrop, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-0.92%
fell 280 points, or 0.8%, at 35,354, and was on track for its sharpest fall since Aug. 4; the S&P 500 index
SPX,
-0.90%
was down 0.7% at 4,449 and the Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
-1.29%
declined 0.9% at 14,663. In corporate news, Home Depot Inc. shares
HD,
-4.71%
fell, after the home improvement retailer reported fiscal second-quarter profit and record sales that topped expectations but same-store sales that came up short; while shares of another blue chip, Walmart Inc.
WMT,
+0.33%
rose after the retailing giant reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter sales and earnings and lifted its outlook for sales growth.