U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as investors grappled with an uptick in annual inflation and global oil prices above 100 U.S. dollars a barrel.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 56.09 points, or 0.11 percent, to 49,760.56. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 11.88 points, or 0.16 percent, to 7,400.96, while the Nasdaq Composite Index shed 185.92 points, or 0.71 percent, to 26,088.20.
Performance across the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors was divided, with seven finishing in the green. Healthcare and consumer staples rose 1.93 percent and 1.56 percent, respectively. Conversely, consumer discretionary and technology led the laggards, declining 1.06 percent and 0.99 percent, respectively.
Market sentiment was heavily dampened by the U.S. April consumer price index report, which showed inflation remains stubbornly high. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in April, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.8 percent, which is the highest level since May 2023.
Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.4 percent for the month and 2.8 percent annually.
Analysts noted that the monthly core inflation was the highest recorded since early 2025, a development likely to complicate the Federal Reserve's timeline for potential interest rate adjustments.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kevin Warsh to a 14-year term as a Federal Reserve governor, marking a pivotal step toward his expected ascension as the next leader of the U.S. central bank.
U.S. stocks close mixed on hot inflation print, higher oil prices
