US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Tuesday as traders parsed the latest economic data.
* The US services sector expanded faster than expected last month as business activity picked up, according to Institute for Supply Management data.
* The services purchasing managers' index improvement "is encouraging at a time when many other data series have begun to falter," Jefferies said in a note to clients.
* US job openings rose to about 8.1 million in November from 7.84 million the month prior, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The consensus was for a 7.74 million reading in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
* February West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.69 to settle at $74.25 per barrel, while March Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.74 to $77.04 on concerns over tightening supply after China moved to comply with US sanctions, while cold US weather pushes up heating oil.
* Paychex (PAYX) struck a deal to buy Paycor HCM (PYCR) in a $4.1 billion deal that will help the human resources and payroll solutions provider expand upmarket and boost its artificial intelligence capabilities. Paychex shares rose 2.3%, while Paycor fell 3%.
* Meta Platforms (META) dropped 2.1% after the Facebook and Instagram parent said it is ending its third-party fact-checking program in the US and introducing a more personalized approach to political content on its platforms as part of its commitment to "free expression."
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