(By Salman - iStockAnalyst Writer)US stocks finished mostly down on Tuesday as investors reacted to a weaker-than-expected consumer confidence data. However, Dow managed to finish in green as a rally in energy stocks and better-than-expected housing data provided some hope.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 14.21 points or 0.14% to finish at 9,867.96. The S&P 500 dropped 3.54 points or 0.33% to end at 1,063.41. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 25.76 points or 1.20% to 2,116.09.
The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 47.7 in October from an upwardly revised 53.4 in September. Economists expected a reading of 53.2.
According to the latest S&P Case-Shiller home price index, home prices nationwide rose 1 percent in August from previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis. That follows a 1.2 percent increase in July. However, prices in the 20 markets were down 11.3 percent, year-over-year.
Shares of American Express Co. (NYSE:
AXP) rallied $1.07 or 3.07% to $35.95.
Energy stocks finished with solid gains. Chevron Corp. (NYSE:
CVX) surged $1.14 or 1.51% to end at $76.59. Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) jumped $1.68 or 2.29% to $74.91.
Shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:
VZ) gained 56 cents or 1.96% to finish at $29.20.
IBM Corp. (NYSE:
IBM) rose 54 cents or 0.45% to close at $120.65 on Tuesday after it announced that its board of directors has authorized another $5 billion in funds to be used for stock repurchases. The new follows an additional $4.2 billion remaining from an earlier stock buyback authorization. IBM also declared a regular quarterly dividend of 55 cents a share to be paid on Dec. 10 to stockholders of record as of Nov. 10.
Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:
AA), the largest US aluminum maker, plunged 47 cents or 3.54% to $12.81.
Walt Disney (NYSE:
DIS), the largest US theme park operator, lost 48 cents or 1.68% to $28.17.
Late on Monday, Baidu Inc.
