The blue-chip Dow briefly hit a record high on Tuesday, aided by a rise in Home Depot's shares after the retailer kept its annual forecasts intact, while caution dominated the overall mood ahead of a Federal Reserve conference later in the week.

US equities fell at the open Tuesday as earnings from Home Depot Inc. kicked off a string of key retail reports and as investors awaited a Federal Reserve symposium this week to set expectations for the path of interest rates.