The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 97.97 points, or 0.35 percent, to 28,210.82. The S&P 500 fell 7.56 points, or 0.22 percent, to 3,435.56. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 31.80 points, or 0.28 percent, to 11,484.69.
Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors dropped, with energy down 1.99 percent, leading the laggards. Communication services rose 1.29 percent, the best-performing group.
U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded roughly flat, with five of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday continued COVID-19 relief talks, which "provided more clarity and common ground," and they would continue their discussions Wednesday afternoon, said Drew Hammill, Pelosi's spokesman and deputy chief of staff.
The two principals held a 53-minute call on Monday, and continued to narrow their differences, according to an earlier statement from Hammill.
The moves followed Pelosi's remarks on Sunday that White House and congressional lawmakers must reach an agreement in 48 hours if they want to pass a new relief package before the presidential election.
Despite the recent progress, Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on the new relief bill over two months after the extra 600-U.S.-dollar per week federal unemployment benefits -- part of a 2-trillion-dollar relief package approved by Congress in late March -- expired at the end of July.
Stimulus negotiations have been a major focus for investors recently as they hoped a follow-up aid package would help combat the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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