Stocks dip as investors await earnings season

— -- Investors are sending stocks lower as they wait for signals about where the economy is headed.

No major economic releases are expected today but investors are watching this week's G8 summit, starting Wednesday, to see what leaders, including President Obama, say about the economy.

Investors have become more tentative in recent weeks after the market's spring rally and are now trading cautiously. Some fear they might have been too optimistic in March and April about how soon the economy might recover from the recession.

"Our view is that the economy is still in a precarious state," said Ben Halliburton, chief investment officer of Tradition Capital Management in Summit, N.J. "The weak consumer, driven by very high unemployment, destroyed wealth and unavailable credit is going to continue to be a major drag on the U.S. economy."

Oil hovered near $65 a barrel Monday, down sharply from last week's highs. The drop in the price of crude has sent stocks falling as investors anticipate that a weaker world economy will mean less demand for energy.

Disappointing economic news over the last few weeks, culminating in last Thursday's worse than expected U.S. jobs report for June, has altered investors' belief that the economy would rebound significantly.

Early Tuesday, Ikea said it will cut more jobs than previously announced as the financial crisis continues to weigh on demand for its furniture. The Swedish furniture company did not say exactly how many workers would be affected. In the past 10 months, Ikea has already slashed 5,000 jobs globally after sales dropped 7% below budget.

Investors are now looking to second-quarter earnings reports for some sense of whether companies have already seen the worst of the recession.