Stocks Ended Slightly Higher on U.S.-China Trade Hopes

U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday on optimism over U.S.-China trade talks. The Dow Industrial Average rose 8.07 points, or 0.03%, to 25,891.32. The S&P 500 was up 4.16 points, or 0.15%, to 2,779.76. The Nasdaq Composite added 14.36 points, or 0.19%, to 7,486.77.

Crude-oil futures ended on a mixed note Tuesday, amid reports of falling Saudi Arabian exports. March West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained 50 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at $56.09 a barrel. April Brent lost a nickel, or less than 0.1%, to settle at $66.45 a barrel.

Walmart (WMT)’s fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.41, surpassing analysts’ estimates of $1.33. Revenue for the fourth quarter hit $138.8 billion, slightly ahead of analysts’ forecasts of $138.76 billion.