US STOCKS-Dow, S&P edge up, Nasdaq off as data offsets results

                                
 * Dow component DuPont gains as profit triples
                                
 * Cummins rises after profit tops view
                                
 * Consumer confidence falls
                                
 * Dow up 0.3 pct; S&P up 0.1 pct; Nasdaq off 0.2 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
 (Updates to late afternoon)
                                
 By Caroline Valetkevitch
                                
 NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - The Dow industrials and the
S&P 500 eked out slim gains, while the Nasdaq dipped on
Tuesday as a sharp drop in July consumer confidence curbed the
enthusiasm stirred by more robust earnings.
                                
 The benchmark S&P 500 index hovered above its 200-day
moving average at 1,113. A close above that level would
indicate market strength.
                                
 Economic data has raised concerns that the U.S. recovery
has stalled while the latest earnings reports have sent more
optimistic signals on the economy. On Monday, U.S. stocks
rallied after an upbeat outlook from FedEx <FDX.N>.
                                
 For companies, "it seems growth hasn't ground to a halt,
and that is very important for the stock market," said Marc
Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co, in San
Francisco.
                                
 But "the balance of the market is in a bit of a pullback
phase, and consumer confidence is weighing today," he said.
                                
 Consumer confidence fell in July to its lowest point since
February, hurt by worries about the job market, according to a
report from the Conference Board, a private research group.
For details, see [ID:nN27219358]
                                
 But the Dow got a lift from DuPont & Co <DD.N>, which shot
up 4 percent to $40.54 after reporting its quarterly profit
nearly tripled on strong sales in all of its businesses.
[ID:nN26201739]
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 26.04
points, or 0.25 percent, to 10,551.47. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> inched up 0.99 of a point, or 0.09 percent,
to 1,116.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> slipped 4.02
points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,292.41.
                                
 Companies sensitive to economic cyles ranked among the
biggest decliners, including heavy equipment maker Caterpillar
Inc <CAT.N>, down 1.2 percent at $69.11.
                                
 On the Nasdaq, shares of Paccar Inc <PCAR.O> fell 2.7
percent to $45.73 despite stronger-than-expected quarterly
results. Paccar makes big commercial trucks under brands that
include Peterbilt and Kenworth.
                                
 In other earnings news, Cummins Inc <CMI.N>, the engines
and power-generation equipment maker, climbed 1.8 percent to
$79.28 after reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly
results and raising its annual forecast on strong demand
overseas. [ID:nN10132485]
                                
 Some 41 percent of S&P 500 companies have reported
earnings so far this period.
                                
 The S&P 500 hit a session high just above 1,120, around
the midpoint between its 2007 historic high and a 12-year low
hit in 2009. That retracement is seen by analysts as strong
technical resistance.
 (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)