* U.S. Steel. AK Steel tumble after results
* Aug home prices fall, Oct consumer confidence up
* Dow up 0.1 pct, S&P off 0.04 pct, Nasdaq up 0.1 pct
* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to midmorning)
By Leah Schnurr
NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday, pressured by a stronger dollar and lackluster corporate results from the materials and technology sector.
Indexes cut losses to turn briefly positive on gains in
consumer discretionary shares after data showed consumer
confidence rose slightly in October. Hotel shares helped boost
the sector after Bernstein raised its price targets on Marriott
International Inc
But the materials sector led the way down, weighed by soft commodity prices and disappointing results from the steel sector.
Broadly, equities continued to take their cue from the U.S. dollar, which steadied with the dollar index <.DXY> up 0.6 percent.
Stocks and the greenback have formed an inverse relationship, exacerbated by expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will embark on another round of economic stimulus. For a Q+A, see [ID:nN2199257]
"The driver today will be the dollar, which is pushing markets lower," said Paul Nolte, managing director at Dearborn Partners in Chicago.
Earlier, data showed single-family home prices fell for the second straight month in August, hovering near recent lows after the expiration of popular homebuyer tax credits. For details, see [ID:nN2649346] and [ID:nN26127639]
"On balance, the data is marginally worse than expected, given the revenue misses from many of the companies, and continued weak housing numbers," said Nolte.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> edged up 5.86 points, or 0.05 percent, at 11,169.91. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> eased 0.47 points, or 0.04 percent, to 1,185.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 3.04 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,493.89.
Texas Instruments Inc
U.S. Steel Corp
The Dow Jones U.S. Hotels index <.DJUSLG> rose 0.5 percent, while Marriott gained 0.8 percent to $37.88, and Starwood added 0.7 percent to $58. (Additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)