New York, Nov 18 (IANS): The US stocks closed mixed after volatile trading on Tuesday, as investors digested a batch of economic reports.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 6.49 points (0.04 percent) to 17,489.50, Xinhua reported.
The S&P 500 fell 2.75 points (0.13 percent) to 2,050.44. The Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 1.40 points (0.03 percent) to 4,986.02.
The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers increased 0.2 percent in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, in line with market consensus, the Labour Department said on Tuesday.
The so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs, edged up 0.2 percent in October, following a similar increase in September. The core CPI have risen 1.9 percent over the past 12 months.
"The CPI is trending ever-so-slowly higher, both headline and core. The increase, however, is entirely built on the dubious premise home owners' costs rise at the same rate as renters' costs," said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial, in a note.
Meanwhile, US industrial production declined 0.2 percent in October after decreasing at the same rate in September, missing market estimates of a 0.1 percent gain, according to statistics from the Federal Reserve on Tuesday.
Investors also kept a close eye on the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) due out Wednesday. Traders will look for more hints on the timing of an interest rate hike by the US central bank.
In corporate news, shares of Wal-Mart rose 3.54 percent to $59.92 apiece on Tuesday, after the retail giant reported better-than-expected quarterly profit.
The company's quarterly diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.03, benefited by a boost of approximately 4 cents a share from certain leases adjustment.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, increased 3.74 percent to end at 18.84 on Tuesday.
In other markets, oil prices fell on market expectations that the US supplies continued to expand.
The US dollar traded mixed against other major currencies amid the country's newly-released economic data.