Retailers 3Q Earnings Dismal; Cisco Sees Small Biz Sales Growth; Blackstone Posts $502 million 3Q Loss; IEA Sees $100 Oil Average; Mattel Toying with Job Cuts; Direct TV Earnings Up; Fidelity Cuts 1,300 jobs; Jobless Claims Fall

With earnings season starting to wind down, investors are not anticipating many new surprises.

Stocks dipped lower today (Tuesday), as investor confidence about first quarter earnings remains low.