US stocks give up early gains to end mixed

A rally that pushed stocks up nearly 7 percent in December took a pause Tuesday as traders shrugged off a pickup in factory orders and a sharp rise in monthly sales from General Motors and Ford. Indexes started out with gains but mostly fell throughout the day. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 20.43 points, or 0.2 percent, to 11,691.18. The S&P 500 index fell 1.69 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,270.20. The Nasdaq composite lost 10.27 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,681.25. — AP