U.S. stocks tumbled Tuesday as oil prices hit $51 a barrel, stoking concerns that higher energy costs will eat into corporate profits and curb consumer spending, while Home Depot Inc. dragged on home improvement retailers. Oil prices surged more than $2 to a 15-week high on Tuesday, bolstered by a late bout of cold winter weather in Europe and the United States. Home Depot fell 3.4 percent to $40.58. The world's largest home-improvement retailer posted profits that failed to exceed Wall Street estimates, analysts said. Rival home improvement retailer Lowe's Cos. Inc. fell 1.7 percent to $57.74. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 101.68 points, or 0.94 percent, at 10,683.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 9.65 points, or 0.80 percent, at 1,191.94. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 15.60 points, or 0.76 percent, at 2,043.02. "The weaker dollar and higher crude prices are pulling down the market," said Steve Goldman, market strategist at Weeden & Co. "Home Depot seems to be hurting the home improvement stocks." --More 2356 Local Time 2056 GMT
