Wall Street churned to a mixed finish as a long list of worries looms, even if the most pressing crisis seems to be calming as Washington moves to avoid a default on its debt.
The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged Tuesday, hovering near its highest level since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 50 points. The Nasdaq composite led the market with a 0.3 percent gain as excitement built further about artificial intelligence.
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are working to win votes for a deal reached over the weekend to allow the government to continue paying its bills.
On Tuesday:
The S&P 500 rose 0.07 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 4,205.52.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 50.56 points, or 0.2 percent, to 33,042.78.
The Nasdaq composite rose 41.74 points, or 0.3 percent to 13,017.43.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 5.73 points, or 1 percent, to 1,767.29.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 366.02 points, or 9.5 percent.
The Dow is down 104.47 points, or 0.3 percent.
The Nasdaq is up 2,550.94 points, or 24.4 percent.
The Russell 2000 is up 6.05 points, or 0.3 percent.
