Stocks fell significantly Tuesday as nervous investors saw crude-oil prices near a record $120 a barrel and disappointing profit outlooks from DuPont and Texas Instruments. Light sweet crude oil for May delivery rose $1.89 to a record $119.37 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, oil hit a record trading high of $110.90. Gold futures rose, and the U.S. dollar fell to a new record low against the euro and also fell against the yen. In economic news, U.S. existing-home sales in March fell 2 percent to an annual rate of 4.93 million units, a sign that the U.S. housing market slump is far from over. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 104.79, or 0.8 percent, to 12,720.23. DuPont reported higher quarterly sales and profit that surpassed estimates, due to higher prices and the benefit of the weak U.S. dollar. The chemical maker reiterated its 2008 profit forecast but also said that the weaker U.S. economy will offset any gains from global markets. Its shares fell 4 percent. --MORE
