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Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday as trade tensions persist and economic data loom. The Nasdaq Composite, the Dow and the S&P 500 ended in negative territory.

How Did the Benchmarks Perform?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) fell 0.4%, or 155.83 points, to close at 40,368.96. Twenty-one components of the 30-stock index ended in negative territory, while nine ended in positive. The major loser of the Dow was the Boeing Company BA. The stock price of this aerospace and defense company fell 2.4%. Boeing currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 8.32 points, or 0.1%, to close at 16,823.17.

The S&P 500 lost 9.34 points, or 0.2%, to close at 5,396.63. Seven out of 11 broad sectors of the benchmark index closed in the red. The Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB), the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLP) fell 0.8%, 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively.

The fear gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) decreased 2.5% to 30.12. A total of 15 billion shares were traded on Tuesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 19 billion. The S&P 500 posted two new 52-week highs and one new low. The Nasdaq Composite recorded 27 new highs and 95 new lows.

Markets Dip Amid Trade Uncertainty

The U.S. stock market experienced minor drops on Tuesday because investors reacted to President Trump's tariff policies, which included potential auto industry relief and new plans to tax semiconductor and pharmaceutical products.

Market sentiment remained bearish because trade policy uncertainty did not decrease from the previous volatile trading days. Investors focus on the upcoming U.S. Census Bureau retail sales data because it will provide essential information about consumer strength amid rising economic slowdown concerns.

The U.S. dollar increased 0.3% in value, yet it stayed close to its three-year low against the euro and its six-month low against the yen, which indicates that investors remain cautious about U.S. assets.

Oil prices decreased marginally as Brent crude settled at $64.67 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) settled at $61.33 because investors assessed the effects of the U.S.-China trade war on worldwide demand.

Empire State Manufacturing Weakness Eases

Per the Fed’s New York Empire State Manufacturing Survey, the index for April 2025 was a negative 8.1. In March, it was negative 20.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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