Stocks fall as virus worries force big rally to take a pause

NEW YORK — Stocks took a pause from their big rally this month that has vaulted them back to record heights. The S&P 500 lost 0.5% Tuesday, after falling 1.1% earlier.

Treasury yields also dipped after a report showed U.S. shoppers spent less at retailers last month than economists expected.

The numbers underscore how the coronavirus pandemic is worsening and threatening to drag the economy lower, at least in the near term. Stocks that stormed higher this month on hopes that a vaccine or two may get the global economy back to normal next year receded amid the worries.