Stocks at the close: Nasdaq under 5000 again

Stocks ended down Tuesday, with the Nasdaq stumbling back below that magical 5000 threshold as investors took profits ahead of economic reports later in the week.

The Nasdaq composite ended down 0.6% -- about 20 points below 5000. The benchmark had finally crossed that level at the market close Monday for the first time in 15 years.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 -- which have regularly set all-time highs in recent months -- ended about 0.5% lower each. That amounted to an 85-point loss for the Dow.

On the economy/companies front:

■ CEOs of major U.S. companies said they are more optimistic than they were late last year that sales and capital spending will rise in the next six months, according to a new survey by the Business Roundtable.

■ Monthly auto sales were up, but not a lot and not for all automakers. Investors for the most part weren't pleased. Toyota Motor (TM) outsold Ford Motor (F) by 84 vehicles to take the No. 2 spot, behind General Motors (GM).

■ Springleaf Holdings said it will buy Citigroup's OneMain Financial for $4.25 billion in cash. LEAF lifted about 30% on the news.

■ Best Buy boosted revenue by 1.3% in the fourth quarter to $14.2 billion. BBY is up 1.5%.

The Nasdaq composite capped its long march back to 5000 on Monday, eclipsing, then closing above the long-hallowed mark for the first time since March 2000. Its all-time high -- 5,048.62, reached March 10, 2000 -- lies just beyond that threshold.

Crude oil sold on the U.S. market, now a couple of dimes above $49 a barrel, fell. 10-year Treasury yields, up more than one percent, remain above 2%.

Global stock markets fell despite the Nasdaq milestone.

France's CAC 40 ended down 1% and Germany's DAX lost 1.1%. Britain's FTSE 100 ended off 0.7%.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.1% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 1%. The Shanghai Composite fell 2%. China's ceremonial legislature starts its annual session on Thursday and is expected to announce a growth target for 2015.

Contributing: James R. Healey, Charisse Jones.