STOCKS edged lower in New York today, pausing from last week's rally on encouraging economic news, as bond prices slipped in advance of this week's auction of new US Treasury debt.

Broad market measures turned marginally negative, giving back some early gains amid some profit taking on last week's advance. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a slim margin on the New York Stock Exchange.

The NYSE's composite index fell 1.06 to 352.81, and the Standard and Poor fell 2.26 to 660.23. The Nasdaq fell 4.40 to 1,120.52, and the American Stock Exchange's market value index fell 0.38 to 548.59.