New York  - Financial shares led Wall Street down on Tuesday as the value of commercial property dropped and housing starts fell.

New construction on homes fell 12.8 per cent in April from a month earlier because of a decrease in apartment construction that offset an increase in single family homes, according to Commerce Department figures.

Separate figures from Moody's Investor Services showed commercial property values fell 1.7 per cent in March from a month earlier.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 29.23 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,474.85. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index shed 1.58 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 909.71. The technology- heavy Nasdaq Composite Index lost 2.18 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 1,734.54.

The US currency fell against the euro to 73.37 euro cents from 73.73 euro cents on Monday. The dollar dropped against the Japanese currency to 96.10 yen from 96.26 yen. (dpa)