NEW YORK (Reuters) - A slide in shares of Microsoft pressured stocks on Tuesday, though retailers were a notable bright spot after Home Depot said prospects for housing have improved in coming quarters.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 58.90 points, or 0.46 percent, to end unofficially at 12,756.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 5.50 points, or 0.40 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,374.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 20.37 points, or 0.70 percent, to close unofficially at 2,883.89.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)