Stocks Finished Little Changed as Oil Prices Slumped

U.S. stocks erased gains and finished little changed on Tuesday, as falling oil prices took a toll on energy companies and the evacuation of a European soccer stadium rekindled terror fears. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 6.49 points, or 0.04%, to 17,489.50. The S&P 500 was off 2.75 points, or 0.13%, to 2,050.44. The Nasdaq Composite was up 1.40 points, or 0.03%, to 4,986.02.

Crude oil futures fell more than 2 percent on Tuesday. Brent crude futures settled down 99 cents at $43.57 a barrel, touching a session low at $43.50. U.S. crude’s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures (CLc1) settled down $1.07 at $40.67 a barrel, after an intraday low at $40.58.

German authorities canceled a highly anticipated soccer game between the German and Netherlands national teams less than two hours before it was to start because of a security threat.

Robust sales numbers from Walmart, Home Depot and TJX on Tuesday are helping to ease concerns over the American consumer’s health in the countdown to the Black Friday sales.