Stocks Close Lower; Energy Sector Weighs

U.S. stocks finished mostly lower on Tuesday, as steep losses in energy companies’ stocks weighed on the main benchmark. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 17.60 points, or 0.10%, to 17,383.84. The S&P 500 finished 5.71 points, or 0.28%, lower at 2,021.10. The Nasdaq Composite shed 15.27 points, or 0.33%, to 4,623.64.

Crude-oil prices finished Tuesday at their lowest in three years, struggling in the aftermath of Saudi Arabia’s decision to alter oil prices sold to U.S. and Asian buyers. Light, sweet crude futures for delivery in December fell $1.59, or 2%, to settle at $77. 19 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The U.S. housing market continued to cool off in September, as home prices rose at an ever slowing pace. Prices increased 5.6 percent in September compared to a year ago, real estate data provider CoreLogic (CLGX) says.

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOXA) reported an 11.7 percent rise in quarterly revenue, helped by growth in its cable network and film studio businesses. The company said first-quarter revenue rose to $7.89 billion from $7.06 billion a year earlier.