TECH STOCKS: Rally EndsTECH STOCKS: Rally Ends

A strong two-day rally fizzled Wednesday as the major stock indexes nosed slightly into the red. It's likely the losses were just the result of investors seeking to lock in profits, as the day's economic news and recent earnings reports gave pretty good news.

At the closing bell, the information 100 was down 0.9%, or 2.62 points, to 302.76, and the Nasdaq index had fallen 0.2%, or 4.09 points, to 1,939.10. The Nasdaq-100 tracking stock rose 0.7%, or 24 cents, to $35.57.

The Dow industrials fell 0.1%, or 9.93 points, to 9,803.05, and the S&P 500 fell 0.3%, or 2.72 points, to 1,046.76.

The slight losses ended a four-day winning streak for the Dow and the Nasdaq, both of which have posted major gains this month. The Dow is up more than 500 points, while the Nasdaq has gained more than 150 and is nearing the 2,000 mark for the first time since January 2002.

Several big tech issues had a good day. Intel rose 2.19%, or 68 cents, to $31.76; the world's largest chipmaker reported after the bell on Tuesday that its third-quarter profits more than doubled from a year ago and projected a bullish fourth quarter. Microsoft rose 1.93%, or 55 cents, to $29.07; Motorola rose 1.55%, or 21 cents, to $13.78; Apple Computer rose 1.1%, or 27 cents, to $24.82; and Dell rose 0.6%, or 21 cents, to $26.25.