U.S. stocks close lower in a modest retreat, with Dow industrials off 44 points

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) 
U.S. stocks ended near session lows on Tuesday in what analysts characterized as a natural pullback from the past session's and quarter's steep gains
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 43.90 points, or 0.3%, to 13,197.73, with Chevron Corp. and Caterpillar Inc. contributed the most to the point loss
Bank of America Corp. led percent decliners, down 3.3%
The S&P 500 fell 3.99 points, or 0.3%, to 1,412.52
The Nasdaq Composite lost 2.22 points, or 0.1%, to 3,120.35
Adding fuel to the selloff, a survey of March consumer confidence slipped and January home prices fell  to a 9-year low