Stocks fell for a fifth day on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged a slowdown in the economy, but offered no suggestion of further monetary stimulus to support growth.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 19.15 points, or 0.16 percent, to end unofficially at 12,070.81. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 1.22 points, or 0.09 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,284.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 1.00 point, or 0.04 percent, to close unofficially at 2,701.56.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Ben Bernanke