Stocks Ended Lower on Lingering Trade Worries

U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday, as trade concerns lingered, though data showing U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated in August kept losses in check. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12.34 points, or 0.05%, to 25,952.48. The S&P 500 lost 4.80 points, or 0.17%, to 2,896.72. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 18.29 points, or 0.23%, to 8,091.25.

Oil futures settled only a few cents a barrel higher on Tuesday, with U.S. benchmark prices holding below $70, as a storm in the Gulf of Mexico looked set to miss the bulk of the region’s energy production platforms. October West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to settle $69.87 a barrel. November Brent settled at $78.17 a barrel, edging up by 2 cents.

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index jumped to a 14-year high of 61.3% last month from 58.1% in July.