NEW YORK, March 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as investors digested a slew of newly-released economic data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 26.72 points, or 0.10 percent, to 25,887.38. The S&P 500 dropped 0.37 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,832.57.
The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 9.47 points, or 0.12 percent, to 7,723.95.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed lower, with utilities down more than 1 percent, leading the laggards among the groups. Health care and consumer discretionary rose 0.78 percent and 0.50 percent, respectively, outperforming others.
On the economic front, new orders for U.S. manufactured goods edged up 0.1 percent in January, following a 0.1 percent December increase, the Department of Commerce reported on Tuesday.
The reading, another sign pointing to slower economic growth, fell short of economists' estimates of 0.4 percent increase polled by MarketWatch.
Wall Street was also awaiting clues from the ongoing Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting.
Market participants will look for clues on the Fed's economic outlook, hoping that the U.S. central bank would adopt a dovish tone amid a slowing global growth, experts noted. At the January meeting, the Fed pledged to be patient about future rate hikes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 26.72 points, or 0.10 percent, to 25,887.38. The S&P 500 dropped 0.37 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,832.57.
The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 9.47 points, or 0.12 percent, to 7,723.95.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed lower, with utilities down more than 1 percent, leading the laggards among the groups. Health care and consumer discretionary rose 0.78 percent and 0.50 percent, respectively, outperforming others.
On the economic front, new orders for U.S. manufactured goods edged up 0.1 percent in January, following a 0.1 percent December increase, the Department of Commerce reported on Tuesday.
The reading, another sign pointing to slower economic growth, fell short of economists' estimates of 0.4 percent increase polled by MarketWatch.
Wall Street was also awaiting clues from the ongoing Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting.
Market participants will look for clues on the Fed's economic outlook, hoping that the U.S. central bank would adopt a dovish tone amid a slowing global growth, experts noted. At the January meeting, the Fed pledged to be patient about future rate hikes.
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