Investors Look For Direction

Stock investors, although tired of selling and eager for a rally, struggled in vain to find a direction Tuesday and sent stocks wavering throughout a choppy session.

Uneasiness about falling profits, the country’s economic slowdown and more analyst downgrades of high-profile stocks made it impossible for any substantial gains to stick.

By the end of the day, investors had taken to their recent approach of bidding blue chips moderately higher and selling technology issues.

The Dow Jones industrial average at times soared above 100 points, but it retreated to close up only 31.85 at 10,494.50.