Stocks were mixed on Tuesday as market participants traded cautiously ahead of key inflation data due out later in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 100 points, while the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite added about 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively.
Here's how the market settled on Tuesday:
S&P 500 Index (NYSE: SPY): +0.17% or +8.65 points to 5,078.18
Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA): -0.25% or -96.82 points to 38,972.41
Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: QQQ): +0.37% or +59.05 points to 16,035.30
On the Earnings Front: Macy's shares rose even as the legacy department store posted disappointing fourth-quarter revenues on Tuesday as the company announced it will close 150 stores of its namesake locations in favor of opening more shops in higher income areas to tap more into the luxury goods market.
"We have some stores that are just underproductive or not as profitable, and we have to address that," CEO Tony Spring said in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. "Conversely, we have stores that are highly productive and highly profitable. We have markets and stores and centers we're not in today that we'd like to be in."
Macy's also issued weaker-than-expected full-year net sales guidance in the range of $22.2 billion to $22.95 billion, narrowly missing analyst estimates.
Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) shares rose on Tuesday after the home improvement retailer reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results despite headwinds including waning consumer demand. The company also expects to reduce its sales decline this year to a range of $84 billion to $85 billion from $86.38 billion throughout fiscal 2023.
Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results late Monday, notably ending its quarter with 220,400 enterprise customers from 219,700 at the end of its previous quarter.
For its current first-quarter, Zoom expects adjusted earnings per share between $1.18 to $1.20 on revenues of $1.125 billion, representing less than 2% year-over-year growth. For its fiscal 2025, Zoom guides for $4.85 to $4.88 in adjusted earnings per share on revenue of $4.60 billion, forecasting or 1.6% growth.
In Economic News: The Conference Board's consumer confidence index ticked down to 106.7 in February from January's downwardly revised print of 110.9, the firm reported on Tuesday. According to Chief Economist Dana Peterson, consumers surveyed showed easing fears surrounding food and energy prices, but "they are more concerned about the labor market situation and the U.S. political environment."
Durable goods orders fell 6.1% in January, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday, as demand for transportation declined during the month. Excluding transportation, new orders of long-lasting goods declined 0.3%, while excluding defence new orders were down 7.3%.
U.S. home prices rose slightly higher-than-expected in December, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index reading on Tuesday, with prices across the 20 largest markets increasing 6.1%. Below the headline, San Diego saw the biggest price jump, rising 8.8%, while Los Angeles and Detroit each saw a 8.3% gain.
For Wednesday: Market participants will turn their attention to more Fedspeak as well as the release of the first revision to the U.S. fourth-quarter GDP. Earnings reports also include eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) and Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU).