NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks retreated Tuesday as troubles for subprime lenders kept piling up and American retail sales came in weaker than anticipated, leading investors to brace for a wilting economy. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 100 points.

Investors fled the already deflated stocks of subprime mortgage lenders as the sector’s problems mounted. The New York Stock Exchange said shortly before the opening bell it would immediately suspend trading in shares of New Century Financial Corp. and move to delist the stock. The lender, which saw trading in its shares halted throughout Monday’s session, on Tuesday disclosed more details on the raft of financial hurdles it faces.

Word from Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. that it is grappling with a liquidity shortfall also bolstered concerns that the sector’s troubles are widespread, as did a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, which showed that mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures climbed in the last quarter of 2006.

In addition to subprime mortgage lenders, who make loans to people with poor credit, the market was worried about retailers, who the Commerce Department said eked out a meager 0.1 percent rise in sales last month.

“I think a big question mark on this is how much of this is weather-related,” said Rob Lutts, chief investment officer at Cabot Money Management. “We had two or three days during the month which knocked out activity. … I think it is causing a little bit of alarm short-term.”

That alarm overshadowed a profit report from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that came in well above Wall Street’s forecast.

In midday trading, the Dow fell 109.75, or 0.89 percent, to 12,208.87, following three straight sessions of gains.

Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 12.62, or 0.90 percent, to 1,393.98, and the Nasdaq composite index slid 27.69, or 0.76 percent, to 2,374.60.

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