U.S. equities ended the trading day in positive territory on Tuesday, with strength concentrated in the Financials, Industrials and Technology sectors. At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.07%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.10% and the NASDAQ Composite increased 0.14%.
Within the Dow, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) was the session's top performer, finishing up 3.18% or 8.13 points at 263.91. Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) also contributed to the Dow's gain, climbing 2.67% or 1.69 points to 64.82 and 2.08% or 7.03 points to 344.53, respectively.
Not all Dow components moved higher. Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) was the weakest performer on the index, slipping 3.76% or 5.03 points to close at 128.86. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) declined 2.86% or 5.43 points to finish at 184.29, while 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) dropped 2.44% or 4.20 points to 167.62.
On the S&P 500, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) produced one of the largest gains, rising 12.22% to 24.12. Financial technology company Fiserv Inc (NASDAQ:FISV) climbed 6.82% to settle at 63.41, and Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE:LUV) gained 6.14% to close at 54.25.
At the other end of the S&P 500, Genuine Parts Co (NYSE:GPC) registered a steep decline of 14.56% to 125.74. Allegion PLC (NYSE:ALLE) lost 9.38% to settle at 162.67, and Leidos Holdings Inc (NYSE:LDOS) fell 8.38% to 161.53 by the close.
The NASDAQ Composite saw extreme percentage moves among smaller-cap names. Intelligent Group Ltd (NASDAQ:INTJ) surged 1,905.99% to 6.70. EpicQuest Education Group International Ltd (NASDAQ:EEIQ) jumped 1,881.66% to 3.57, and Utime Ltd (NASDAQ:WTO) rose 315.59% to close at 2.58.
Conversely, several Nasdaq-listed issues posted sharp losses. JIA DA CORP (NASDAQ:JDZG) tumbled 81.10% to 0.72, AIOS Tech Inc (NASDAQ:AIOS) fell 50.06% to 0.51, and JFB Construction Holdings (NASDAQ:JFB) declined 43.09% to 17.00 at the close.
Market breadth was negative on both major exchanges. On the New York Stock Exchange, decliners outnumbered advancers 1,439 to 1,299, with 101 issues unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1,736 issues fell while 1,657 advanced and 175 finished unchanged.
Several individual stock milestones were noted during the session. Shares of Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) fell to 52-week lows, dropping 2.86% or 5.43 to 184.29. JIA DA CORP (NASDAQ:JDZG) and AIOS Tech Inc (NASDAQ:AIOS) both moved to all-time lows, with JDZG down 81.10% or 3.09 to 0.72 and AIOS down 50.06% or 0.52 to 0.51. Separately, Utime Ltd (NASDAQ:WTO) recorded a move described as rising to all-time lows, increasing 315.59% or 1.96 to 2.58.
Volatility and commodities also moved. The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, declined 4.29% to 20.29.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery was down 2.91% or 146.79 to $4,899.51 a troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in April fell 0.94% or 0.59 to $62.16 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract decreased 1.92% or 1.32 to trade at $67.33 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, EUR/USD was unchanged at 1.19, while USD/JPY slipped 0.10% to 153.27. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 0.23% at 97.04.
Overall, Tuesday's session showed modest index-level gains driven by a subset of large-cap names and strong, volatile action among smaller-cap Nasdaq listings. Sector-level strength in Financials, Industrials and Technology supported the advance, while notable declines in several mid- and large-cap shares weighed on breadth.