Wall Street slides at open on earnings, data

An unexpected decline in durable goods orders weighed on sentiment

US stocks opened sharply lower on Tuesday, with Microsoft and Caterpillar shares tumbling after both posted earnings, while an unexpected decline in durable goods orders also weighed on sentiment.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 222.56 points, or 1.26 percent, to 17,456.14, the S&P 500 lost 19.29 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,037.8 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 73.43 points, or 1.54 percent, to 4,698.33 points.