U.S. stocks closed mixed after wavering in a tight range Tuesday, as Wall Street digested U.S. import and export prices amid rate hike concerns.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 27.73 points, or 0.16 percent, to 17,758.21. The S&P 500 added 3.14 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,081.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 12.06 points, or 0.24 percent, to 5,083.24. U.S. import prices declined 0.5 percent in October after falling 0.6 percent in the previous month, exceeding market consensus of a 0.1-percent decline, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.
Lower prices for both fuel and nonfuel imports contributed to the October decrease. U.S. export prices also fell 0.2 percent in October, following a 0.6-percent drop in September. Investors remained cautious as the possibility of a December rate hike increases following a strong jobs gain in October.
U.S. total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 271,000 in October, the largest gain since December 2014. The unemployment rate fell to 5.0 percent, the lowest since April 2008.
Many analysts believed that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, as Fed Chair Janet Yellen reiterated last week that the central bank may pull the trigger at its December policy meeting if the U.S. economy is "performing well."
In corporate news, shares of Apple Inc. declined 3.15 percent to 116.77 U.S. dollars apiece Tuesday after Credit Suisse said the tech giant's supply-chain orders have weakened recently in Asia, which could weigh on Apple's shares for the "next few weeks/quarters."
Overseas, European stocks also closed mixed Tuesday as investors shifted their attention to earnings reports. Germany's benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange added 0.16 percent, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index lost 0.32 percent.
In Asia, Chinese benchmark Shanghai Composite Index snapped a four-day winning streak to end 0.18 percent lower Tuesday, as investors took profits off the table after the recent strong rally.
The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, fell 7.45 percent to end at 15.29 Tuesday. In other markets, oil prices rose Tuesday, snapping a four-day losing streak triggered by oversupply concerns.
The West Texas Intermediate for December delivery moved up 34 cents to settle at 44.21 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for December delivery increased 25 cents to close at 47.44 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
The U.S. dollar increased against most major currencies on Tuesday as the country's central bank moved closer to a year-end rate hike while its European counterpart signaled to unleash further stimulus to boost the economy.
In late New York trading, the euro fell to 1.0704 dollars from 1.0757 dollars in the previous session, while the dollar bought 123.24 Japanese yen, higher than 123.10 yen of the previous session.
Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose slightly on Tuesday although a stronger U.S. dollar put pressure on the precious metal. The most active gold contract for December delivery edged up 0. 4 dollar, or 0.04 percent, to settle at 1,088.50 dollars per ounce.
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