While you were sleeping: Equities move lower

While you were sleeping: Equities move lower
By Margreet Dietz Dec. 31 (BusinessDesk) - Stocks in Europe and on Wall Street slid, pushing the S&P 500 down from Tuesday’s record-high close, as some investors sought to lock in profits before the end of a solid year.  While mildly short of expectations, the latest data on US home prices and consumer confidence underpinned optimism about the outlook. A report showed that the annual pace of increases in US home prices slowed again in October. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values climbed 4.5 percent in the year ended October, aft...