LONDON (ShareCast) - US stocks closed flat on Tuesday, after a day during which they moved in tight ranges and erased some of the previous session's losses.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 6.11 points to 17,760.44, while the S&P 500 rose by less than a point and the Nasdaq lost four points.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings in April reached 5.38m compared with 5.11m in March, the highest figure since record began in 2000, and a 22% increase year-on-year.

Meanwhile, according to the US Commerce Department, wholesale inventories climbed 0.4% month-on-month in the period against expectations of a 0.2% gain, as inventories of durable goods climbed 0.1%.

The report came only a few hours after a ManpowerGroup survey found US employers' hiring intentions in the third quarter of 2015 are among the strongest worldwide.

According to its Employment Outlook Survey, the net employment outlook was +16%, up 2% year-on-year and flat compared with the previous quarter.

Figures released on Tuesday showed that of the more than 11,000 US employers surveyed, 24% expected staff levels to increase in the third quarter, the highest since the same period in 2008.

Oil rallies

Elsewhere, European stocks fell, extending losses after a fairly flat start as ongoing uncertainty over Greek debt negotiations undermined sentiment, as Germany's DAX index, which has fallen over 10% since its April peak, slid under the 11,000 mark.

"The value that was added to Eurozone stock markets on the back of QE is quickly being eroded due to Greece, and with the payback deadline looming dealers are doing their utmost to get out," said IG's analyst David Madden.

Asian shares fell as speculation of an interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve later this year weighed on sentiment, while soft Chinese inflation figures sparked concern about the health of the world's second-largest economy.

The dollar was broadly flat against the euro but lost 0.26% against the pound and 0.16% against the yen, while gold futures climbed 0.23% to $1,176.30.

Oil prices rallied, with West Texas Intermediate gaining 3.04% to $59.96 a barrel, while Brent surged 3.08% to $64.68 a barrel.

Mixed earnings

In company news, athletic apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica surged 10.9% in pre-market trading after first quarter sales beat expectations.

General Electric edged 0.33% higher, after agreeing to sell its private equity lending unit to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $12bn.

Real estate group Hovnanian Enterprises plunged 9.78% after its second quarter profit missed expectations and the group chief executive said he expected the company to book an annual loss.

Outdoor-apparel company Quiksilver plummeted 31.3% after reporting worse-than-expected second quarter results, while retailer Burlington Stores slumped 8.42% after its first quarter revenue fell short of expectations.

S&P 500 - Risers
Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) $3.28 +7.19%
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) $82.77 +5.41%
AES Corp. (AES) $13.51 +3.29%
Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX) $20.02 +3.20%
Netflix Inc. (NFLX) $647.15 +3.18%
Murphy Oil Corp. (MUR) $43.26 +2.61%
EQT Corp. (EQT) $86.06 +2.40%
Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) $45.75 +2.37%
LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) $101.83 +2.36%
H&R Block Inc. (HRB) $31.95 +2.24%

S&P 500 - Fallers
Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) $24.41 -5.53%
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) $34.59 -4.21%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $25.19 -2.82%
Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) $72.90 -2.66%
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $64.45 -2.33%
National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) $47.90 -2.17%
Transocean Ltd. (RIG) $18.74 -1.99%
ProLogis (PLD) $39.07 -1.90%
News Corp Class A (NWSA) $14.56 -1.85%
Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) $17.40 -1.69%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $78.90 +1.53%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $86.73 +0.67%
American Express Co. (AXP) $79.17 +0.46%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $67.17 +0.42%
Visa Inc. (V) $67.95 +0.40%
General Electric Co. (GE) $27.32 +0.29%
3M Co. (MMM) $156.98 +0.25%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $98.15 +0.19%
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $165.66 +0.19%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $34.03 +0.15%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $108.50 -0.72%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $94.73 -0.62%
Boeing Co. (BA) $140.10 -0.38%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $109.53 -0.36%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $209.09 -0.33%
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $84.58 -0.32%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $127.40 -0.31%
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $69.21 -0.29%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $47.33 -0.23%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $45.63 -0.21%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Netflix Inc. (NFLX) $647.15 +3.18%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $215.59 +2.34%
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $497.26 +1.37%
Avago Technologies Ltd. (AVGO) $140.25 +1.17%
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $173.00 +1.12%
Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) $114.75 +0.92%
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (KRFT) $84.00 +0.78%
Mattel Inc. (MAT) $26.01 +0.77%
Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) $40.28 +0.71%
Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $73.70 +0.68%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $25.19 -2.82%
Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) $72.90 -2.66%
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $64.45 -2.33%
Vimpelcom Ltd Ads (VIP) $5.24 -1.69%
Liberty Interactive Corporation QVC Group (QVCA) $27.93 -1.34%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $124.05 -1.17%
Biogen Inc (BIIB) $382.00 -1.13%
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $154.80 -1.07%
Staples Inc. (SPLS) $16.22 -1.04%
Sandisk Corp. (SNDK) $66.81 -1.04%

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