The NASDAQ Composite gained Tuesday, driven by Nvidia shares, as investors attempted to shake off concerns of rising geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
The Dow Jones Industrials came off their lows of the morning, but remained negative 133.28 points to 43,256.32.
The S&P 500 forged ahead 9.18 points to 5,901.78.
The tech-heavy NASDAQ also climbed out of its hole and gained 97.13 points to 18,888.99.
The market pressure began overnight after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. that the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons had lowered, a new stance coming after President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia.
Then losses accelerated on news that Ukraine hit Russian border region Bryansk with U.S.-made missiles, according to the Russian military. The New York Times confirmed the attack, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials. The attack was on an ammunition warehouse, according to the report.
One bright spot was Nvidia, which gained 2% ahead of its closely-watched earnings report after the bell Wednesday. Walmart added 5% after posting better-than-expected earnings and hiking its outlook on strong discretionary spending. Tesla rose 2%, bringing its month-to-date rally to 38%. Shares are headed for their best month since January 2023.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury jumped, lowering yields to 4.38% from Monday’s 4.42%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices slid 23 cents to $68.93 U.S. a barrel.
Prices for gold took on 13 dollars an ounce to $2,617.80 U.S.
