U.S. stocks stage late recovery to recoup losses, with investors assessing Greece, retail

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks made a late-session recovery Tuesday to recoup most losses, as investors reassessed Greece's prospects and a retail sales report that, while weaker than expected, still showed improvement
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.24 points to 12,878.28
The S&P 500 was off 1.3 point to 1,350.5
The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4 point to 2,931.83
The Commerce Department on Tuesday said U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% in January, the most in four months, but less than the 1% expected
The disappointing retail sales number was a "handy excuse" for a market pullback, said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at DowBulls.