Stocks fell on Tuesday as financial and technology shares weakened after a recent strong run-up, while energy shares cushioned the blue-chip Dow industrials from the worst of the losses.

Shares in banks continued to slide after posting steady gains from early March. Bank of America Corp fell 2.6 percent to $12.61, while JPMorgan Chase & Co lost 3.7 percent to $34.50. The KBW Bank Index <.BKX> dropped 4.4 percent.

Most rallies that have come out of major bear markets like this one have experienced a pullback, and investors should be on the lookout for at least some profit-taking in the days ahead, said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial in Westport, Connecticut.

I would advise investors to keep an eye on the recent market leaders, including financials, technology, consumer discretionary, industrials and materials.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq lost ground, with big-cap tech stock Apple Inc leading the decline, down 2.3 percent $126.66. A semiconductor index <.SOXX> fell 3 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> fell 14.89 points, or 0.18 percent, to 8,403.88. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 5.19 points, or 0.57 percent, to 904.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 14.55 points, or 0.84 percent, to 1,716.69.

Energy shares, including Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp , edged higher, cushioning Dow industrials, as oil edged up 0.8 percent to $58.99 per barrel.

Exxon rose 1.1 percent to $70.04, while Chevron added 0.4 percent to $68.31.

Since reaching 12-year closing lows in early March, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 28.44 percent, and the S&P 500 is up 33.7 percent.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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