Global stocks slip on China

A warning about China's growth sparked selling in energy and industrial shares on Tuesday, but the broad market's losses were contained, a sign of resilience for US stocks.

The steady drumbeat of calls for a correction has not abated since the S&P 500 hit its highest level in nearly four years. Signs of a slowdown in China were the catalyst for selling, though the S&P 500 ended far off the day's lows.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 68.94 points, or 0.52 percent, to 13,170.19 at the close. The S&P 500 Index lost 4.23 points, or 0.30 percent, to 1,405.52. The Nasdaq Composite dipped 4.17 points, or 0.14 percent, to 3,074.15.

Financials and commodity-linked stocks were among the top fallers as European shares retreated from eight-month highs, after waning growth in China and mixed US data cast a shadow over the earnings outlook for Europe's biggest companies.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was down 1.1 percent at 1,093.45 points, having last week hit its highest level since July.