Stocks fell for a third day on Tuesday with the S&P 500 down 0.25% at the end of the day. The move was driven by unease among traders on the eve of what could be a very important read on consumer inflation. The CPI is due out today and could go a long way toward stoking market fears or laying them to rest. The CPI is expected to rise from the previous month but not accelerate, a hotter than expected figure will spell bad news for stocks.

Later this week the market will be looking for reads on producer level inflation and retail sales. Retail sales are expected to have fallen on a month-to-month basis but remain strong versus last year. If retail sales hold up it could be enough to keep the market moving higher into the end of the year.