Stocks pared losses on Wednesday after strong demand for a $21 billion 10-year Treasury note sale.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slipped 19.80 points, or 0.18 percent, to 10,950.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 1.39 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,188.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 2.36 points, or 0.10 percent, to 2,439.17.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)