Stocks edged lower on Wednesday, losing steam a day after Wall Street posted its best day since March, although strong earnings from Apple Inc helped put a floor under stock prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 29.78 points, or 0.24 percent, to 12,557.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 1.44 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,325.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 8.07 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,818.45.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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