Dow, S&P 500 slip as Fed minutes on tap

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow and the S&P 500 edged lower on Tuesday as investors grew nervous ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting, while the Nasdaq rose slightly.

Another factor pressuring the stock market was China's bid to cool down its economy, which sparked concerns it would crimp global growth. An official Chinese newspaper reported the government raised bank reserve requirements by 50 basis points, the fourth hike this year, due to excessive lending.

The report confirmed a Reuters story on Monday.

Shares of heavy equipment maker Caterpillar , down 1.2 percent at $79.01, led the Dow's decline.

The Fed, which is set to release the minutes at 2 p.m. EDT, said after its September 21 meeting it stood prepared to provide more support for the economy but expressed concern about low inflation.

Increased hopes that the Fed would step in to bolster the economy helped support stocks in recent weeks. The S&P 500 index is up 10.8 percent since the start of September, and last month's performance was one of the best months for stocks in a decade.

"If the (Fed's) minutes express concern over doing any quantitative easing, that might worry the market," said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. in San Francisco.

Also on investors' minds are results from Intel Corp , expected after the close. Its shares advanced 0.2 percent to $19.60. Apple , up 0.5 percent at $296.86, led the Nasdaq's advance after Barclays raised its price target on the company's stock.

"We all know the economy is not doing great. But as long as we can get slow growth and strong profit margins ... then investors will be comfortable," Pado said.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 33.95 points, or 0.31 percent, at 10,976.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 1.77 points, or 0.15 percent, at 1,163.55. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 4.65 points, or 0.19 percent, at 2,405.98.

The dollar was up 0.2 percent against a basket of currencies <.DXY>. The prospect of the Fed buying more long-term securities such as government bonds has created an inverse correlation between the dollar and stocks, with investors using the greenback as a trigger to move into or out of stocks.

Also in recent sessions, e-mini futures and the euro have followed the same trend, a sign investors are watching for euro moves to decide on whether to increase their exposure to risk.

In the latest news on the deal front, Pfizer Inc , the world's biggest drugmaker, agreed to buy King Pharmaceuticals Inc for $3.6 billion. King surged 39.5 percent to $14.16. Pfizer, a Dow component, dipped 0.06 percent to $17.37.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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