Dow and S&P edge lower; health stocks prop up Nasdaq

Stronger-than-expected April consumer spending data on Tuesday bolstered Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's stance on Friday that a rate hike in the coming months would likely be appropriate given an improvement in the economy. "I think this is a classic wait-and-see the data kind of week," said Philip Blancato, chief executive officer of Ladenburg Thalmann in New York. At 11:35 a.m. ET (1535 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average was down 69.73 points, or 0.39 percent, at 17,803.49, .