US close: Stocks mostly lower as crude slumps, geopolitical tensions persist

(Sharecast News) - Major indices closed mostly lower on Tuesday as markets absorbed the Trump administration's latest remarks on Iran and oil prices extended their move lower.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.07% at 47,706.51, while the S&P 500 shed 0.21% to 6,781.48 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session just 0.01% firmer at 22,697.10.

The Dow closed 34.29 points lower on Tuesday, taking a bite out of gains recorded in the previous session after Donald Trump suggested the conflict with Iran may be nearing its end.

Trump said the US was "very far" ahead of his initial fourtofiveweek timeline and stated he was "thinking about" taking control of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking later at a press conference at his golf club, Trump said the US was "achieving major strides toward completing our military objective" and stressed that Washington remained focused on keeping global energy supplies flowing.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that "today will be our most intense day of strikes inside Iran", adding that Tehran was "badly losing" as the conflict continued to escalate. In contrast, Iran's parliamentary speaker MohammadBagher Ghalibaf said that the country was not seeking a ceasefire, according to a translation.

Oil prices continued to slide after G7 energy ministers met on Tuesday morning to discuss a possible coordinated release of strategic oil reserves, though no decision was reached. At the close, West Texas Intermediate was down 11.94% at $83.45 per barrel, while Brent Crude was 7.84% lower at $91.20 a barrel, even as a report from CBS News claimed that the US had started to see indications that Iran was moving toward deploying mines in the Strait.

On the macro front, the National Federation of Independent Business' small business optimism index slipped for a second straight month in February, easing to 98.8 from 99.3 in January and coming in below expectations for 99.7. The share of owners expecting higher real sales volumes fell eight points to a net 8%, while labour quality was cited as the most pressing issue by 15% of respondents, down a point on the month and the lowest reading since April 2020. Supplychain pressures also eased slightly, with 59% of firms reporting some level of disruption, three points fewer than in January.

NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said: "Although optimism declined slightly, small businesses report feeling more certain as they look toward the coming months. High sales and increased profits made February a more positive month for many owners, but competition from large businesses is putting stress on Main Street firms as they navigate the current economic climate"

On another note, US existing home sales rose 1.7% in February to an annualised 4.09m, accordingt to the National Association of Realtors, defying expectations for a drop to 3.89m. Unsold inventory increased 2.4% to 1.29m homes, equivalent to 3.8 months of supply at the current sales pace, while the median price of an existing home edged 0.3% higher yearonyear to $398,000, despite lower mortgage rates over the period.

In the corporate space, department store retailer Kohl's posted fourthquarter earnings that beat forecasts but fell short on revenue, while also issuing fiscal 2026 guidance that came in below analyst expectations.

After the close, Oracle traded higher in after-hours trading after the software giant posted quarterly results that beat Wall Street expectations and hiked its FY27 revenue guidance.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Intel Corp. (INTC) $46.78 8.64%

3M Co. (MMM) $155.25 2.39%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $260.83 2.28%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $716.68 1.68%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $375.43 1.44%

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $77.70 1.16%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $357.15 1.02%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $50.71 0.52%

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $156.01 0.51%

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $243.71 0.46%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Boeing Co. (BA) $217.76 -3.22%

Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $194.91 -1.95%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $186.29 -1.66%

International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $250.20 -1.24%

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $33.89 -1.22%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $282.34 -0.99%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $327.94 -0.86%

Nike Inc. (NKE) $56.08 -0.80%

American Express Co. (AXP) $303.15 -0.73%

Visa Inc. (V) $314.43 -0.49%

S&P 500 - Risers

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) $72.07 13.48%

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $403.11 10.46%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $499.17 9.62%

Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) $215.23 9.28%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $384.29 8.82%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $46.78 8.64%

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,452.94 8.58%

Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $345.88 7.89%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $266.22 6.42%

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) $203.23 6.25%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Centene Corp. (CNC) $36.40 -15.97%

United Rentals Inc. (URI) $775.79 -5.47%

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (BBWI) $20.44 -5.46%

Waste Management Inc. (WM) $235.54 -4.45%

Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $202.66 -4.43%

Gartner Inc. (IT) $159.06 -4.41%

Intuit Inc. (INTU) $453.95 -4.27%

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) $170.93 -4.27%

Equifax Inc. (EFX) $195.94 -4.24%

Robert Half Inc. (RHI) $23.21 -3.85%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $403.11 10.46%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $499.17 9.62%

Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) $215.23 9.28%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $384.29 8.82%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $46.78 8.64%

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,452.94 8.58%

Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $345.88 7.89%

Asml Holdings N.V. (ASML) $1,383.40 7.45%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $266.22 6.42%

Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $125.50 5.56%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Workday, Inc. (WDAY) $142.49 -4.70%

Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $202.66 -4.43%

Intuit Inc. (INTU) $453.95 -4.27%

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $157.32 -4.19%

Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $231.66 -3.73%

Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $219.33 -3.70%

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $95.12 -3.61%

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $217.37 -3.14%

Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) $23.66 -2.55%

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (CTSH) $62.98 -2.36%