Stocks Opened Mixed ahead of Fed Meeting

U.S. stocks were mixed at open on Tuesday, as investors awaited the start of a two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting and continued to monitor a stream of corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 111.28 points, or 0.45%, to 24,639.50. The S&P 500 gained 4.52 points, or 0.17%, to 2,648.37. The Nasdaq Composite was down 8.18 points, or 0.12%, to 7,077.51.

Oil prices picked up on Tuesday after the U.S. Treasury unveiled sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm, Petróleos de Venezuela SA. West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery was up 44 cents, or 0.8%, at $52.42 a barrel. March Brent crude was up 56 cents, or 0.9%, at $60.49 a barrel.

U.S. home price growth slowed in November. Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index posted a 5.2% annual gain in November, down from 5.3% in the previous month.