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New York - High-flying tech companies Netflix and Tesla Motors stumbled Wednesday, pulling the Nasdaq 0.6% lower in a muted day for US equities.
The tech-rich Nasdaq dropped 26.73 points (0.57%) to 4 675.71.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 2.09 (0.01%) to 17 685.73, while the broad-based S&P 500 lost 3.08 (0.15%) at 2 048.72.
Tesla shares fell 3.9% after Morgan Stanley trimmed its profit forecast for the electric-car manufacturer, while Netflix dropped 4.7% after it pulled the plug on a Bill Cosby programme due to allegations of rape and sexual abuse against the comedian.
Analysts said hot Nasdaq stocks were also affected by profit-taking after big gains in recent weeks.
Retail stocks supported the market on buoyant earnings reports.
Department store chain Target gained 7.4% after it reported third-quarter earnings per share of 54 cents, well above analyst forecasts for 47c.
Lowe's, a home-improvement chain, gained 6.4% on a 17.3% jump in third-quarter net income to $585m. The company forecast 2014 sales gains of 4.5% to 5.0%.
Office supplies giant Staples jumped 9.1% as third-quarter earnings of 37 cents per share bested analyst expectations by a penny.
Family Dollar dipped 0.5% as it delayed its shareholder vote on a merger with rival discount retailer Dollar Tree until December 23 as it seeks approval from US antitrust regulators. Dollar Tree gained 1.0%.
Dollar General, which has offered to buy Family Dollar in a competing deal, said it was making "good progress" with US antitrust officials on its proposed transaction. It fell 0.1%.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury rose to 2.35% from 2.32% on Tuesday, while the 30-year advanced to 3.07% from 3.04%.
