Wall Street declines ahead of earnings season

MARKETS-USA-STOCKS:Wall Street declines ahead of earnings season

U.S. stocks slipped in light trading on Monday, pulling back from recent five-year highs ahead of an earnings season expected to be weak.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 26.50 points, or 0.19 percent, to end unofficially at 13,583.65. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index shed 5.05 points, or 0.35 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,455.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 23.83 points, or 0.76 percent, to close unofficially at 3,112.35.