New York, Jan 6 - US stocks were mixed Tuesday after a strong first trading day in 2010, with the S&P and Nasdaq both advancing.

The US Commerce department reported that factory orders were up 1.1 percent, more than twice as much as projected, feeding optimism in the wake of a separate positive factory index released Monday.

On the downside, contracts to buy previously owned homes plunged 16 percent, more than had been anticipated, as US consumers wait for a first-time buyer tax break to be extended, Bloomberg financial news service reported.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 11.94 points, or 0.11 percent, to 10,572.02. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 3.53 points or 0.31 percent, to 1,136.52. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.29 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,308.71.

The US currency fell to 69.63 euro cents from 69.39 euro cents on Monday. The dollar dropped to 91.75 yen from 92.52 yen. (dpa)