TECH STOCKS: A Whole Lotta Status Quo For IndexesTECH STOCKS: A Whole Lotta Status Quo For Indexes

More investors than not sold following Tuesday's rally. Traders received some good economic news when the Commerce Department released figures showing that July's retail sales were higher than expected.

Tech issues, however, were a mixed bag Wednesday. Apple Computer (AAPL) rose 2.4%, or 48 cents, to $20.18; Red Hat (RHAT) rose 1.8%, or 12 cents, to $6.78; and Intel (INTC) rose 1.4%, or 34 cents, to $24.71. The Nasdaq-100 tracking stock rose 0.2%, or 5 cents, to $30.91.

Microsoft (MSFT) fell 0.5%, or 13 cents, to $25.60; Dell (DELL) fell 1.5%, or 46 cents, to $31.31; and Oracle (ORCL) fell 2.1%, or 26 cents, to $11.90.

The Nasdaq index fell 0.4 points, or two-hundredths of a percent, to 1,686.61, and the information 100 rose 0.2%, or 0.52 points, to 250.90. The Dow fell 0.4%, or 38.3 points, to 9,271.76, and the S&P 500 fell 0.6%, or 6.32 points, to 984.03.