US stocks edge back from their record as oil prices rise

NEWYORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are edging further from their record heights on Monday, ahead of a week where profit reports from the nation's biggest retailers could give a hint about how shoppers are dealing with high inflation and a slowing job market.The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% but remains near its all-time high set Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 284 points, or 0.5%, as of 2 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.Wall Street has run to records in large part because profits are booming for U.S. companies. Those in the S&P 500 index are on track to deliver growth of roughly 50% for earnings per share in the spring from a year earlier, according to FactSet. That’s much better than analysts expected and would be the best since five years ago, when the econo