Stocks End on a Mixed Note

Stocks ended on a mixed note in trading on Tuesday as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of the release of Federal Reserve’s monetary policy statement on Wednesday. However, the Nasdaq still managed to climb to a 12-year high as tech stocks edged higher.

The Dow Jones ended the day 0.01% lower at 15,520.59, the S&P 500 ended the day 0.04% higher at 1,685.96, and the Nasdaq ended the day 0.48% higher at 3,616.47.

Technology sector led the gains in the S&P 500, ending the day 0.66% higher. Industrials also edged higher, ending the day 0.37% higher. Basic Materials sector was the worst performer in the S&P 500, ending the day 1.23% lower.

Among the major movers on Tuesday were Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS), which ended the day 17.28% lower at $43.81, Potash Corp./Saskatchewan (USA) (NYSE: POT), which ended the day 16.54% lower at $31.63, Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD), which ended the day 18.32% higher at $12.85, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), which ended the day 6.20% higher at $37.63, and RR Donnelley & Sons Co. (NASDAQ: RRD), which ended the day 16.49% higher at $18.93.

On the economic front, a report showed that single-family home prices rose 1% in May. A report from the Conference Board, meanwhile, showed that consumer confidence slipped to 80.3 in July.

European markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 Index in London closing 0.16% higher, and the CAC 40 Index in Paris closing 0.45% higher. Asian markets also ended mostly higher overnight, with the Nikkei 225 Index in Japan closing 1.53% higher, and the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong closing 0.48% higher.

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Post Written By: Ed Liston Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.