* Wall Street slips on disappointing earnings, data
* Euro hits 3-month high on fears over U.S. economy
* U.S. 2-year Treasury note's yield hits all-time low
* Oil closes at 3-month high as dollar weakens broadly (Updates to U.S. markets' close)
By Walter Brandimarte
NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Stocks paused a day after hitting the highest level in 2-1/2 months, while the dollar slid on Tuesday as disappointing earnings and U.S. economic data gave investors reason to fret about the global recovery.
U.S. Treasury debt prices climbed as investors sold some equities, sending the two-year note's yield to an all-time low, although analysts said U.S. stocks were expected to slip some after Monday's rally drove them to a 10-week high.
A Wall Street Journal report that the Federal Reserve was considering buying more bonds to prop up the economy further lifted Treasuries' prices.
U.S. oil futures prices jumped to a three-month high above $82 a barrel as the weaker dollar made it cheaper for investors using other currencies to buy the commodity. But commodity prices fell in general due to the growth concerns.
Gold was an exception, rising slightly as China announced moves to allow greater freedom in domestic trading of the metal.
Worries about the sustainability of the global recovery
increased after Dow Chemical Co
Strong earnings have driven the stock market's recent rally, even as economic data systematically disappoints.
New orders received by U.S. factories dropped more than expected in June, while sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell to a record low, data released earlier in the day showed. For details, see [ID:nN0238680] and [ID:nN03155165].
"People are beginning to accept that the U.S. economy is coming back to earth and, as far as growth goes, may be playing second fiddle to other economies," said Andrew Wilkinson, analyst at Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Connecticut. "That's driven bond yields down and is sapping the dollar."
Global stocks measured by the MSCI All-Country World Index <.MIWD00000PUS> edged up 0.02 percent, just a blip above the break-even line, after closing on Monday at their highest level in 2-1/2 months.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> of top European shares also closed practically flat, dipping 0.01 percent to 1,070.79 points as banks and miners gave back some of Monday's sharp gains.
SOME SEE BUYING OPPORTUNITY
"A bout of weakness in the U.S. in reaction to worse-than-expected home sales and factory orders data unsettled traders, but these short-term dips are still tempting in some buyers," said Will Hedden, sales trader at IG Index in London.
The three major U.S. stock indexes slipped after each gained about 2 percent on Monday to close at their highest levels in 10 weeks.
On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> declined 38.0 points, or 0.36 percent, to end at 10,636.38, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 5.40 points, or 0.48 percent, to finish at 1,120.46. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 11.84 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at2,283.52.
Shares of Procter & Gamble
On the other hand, shares of Dow component Pfizer
The market "needs to pull back anyway," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York. "But we did make a new high yesterday and took out resistance, so the uptrend is very much alive."
The S&P Consumer Discretionary Sector <.GSPD> fell 1.3 percent after data showed consumer spending and incomes were unexpectedly flat in June while personal savings rose to the highest level in a year. [ID:nN03194366]
"This shows that spending is slowing down and it's making us back off the retail space," said Tom Nyheim, portfolio manager at Christiana Bank & Trust Co in Greenville, Delaware.
"It doesn't mean that we're going to slide into a double-dip, but it does mean we should expect growth to be slower" than previously thought, he said.
DOLLAR TUMBLES, TREASURIES RALLY
The dollar plunged in tandem with short-dated U.S. Treasury debt yields due to fears that the U.S. economic recovery was faltering.
The greenback slid against a basket of major currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY> down 0.41 percent at 80.609. The index fell below its 200-day moving average for the first time since January, which analysts said may signal more dollar selling ahead.
The euro hit a three-month high of $1.3261 against the
dollar. It pared gains later, but was still up 0.39 percent at
$1.3231. The dollar also fell below 86 yen
Douglas Borthwick, a managing director at Faros Trading LLC, in Stamford, Connecticut, noted that two-year swap spreads between the United States and Europe are currently at about 69 basis points.
"The yield differential is crying out for higher euro/dollar," he said.
The two-year U.S. Treasury note
The benchmark 10-year note
Another positive catalyst for the Treasury debt rally was an unsourced report by The Wall Street Journal that the Federal Reserve would consider buying new mortgage or Treasury bonds using the cash it receives when its mortgage-bond holdings mature. [ID:nLDE67201G]
U.S. crude oil prices
Spot gold prices