US equity indexes were mixed on Tuesday, as government yields declined, and investors parsed macroeconomic data.
* US nonfarm payrolls increased by 64,000 in November, surpassing expectations for a 50,000 gain, according to the Labor Department's delayed report released Tuesday. Private payrolls rose by 69,000, led by a 50,000-job increase in the service sector. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.6%, slightly above the 4.5% projected by economists and marking the highest level since September 2021.
* US retail sales were flat in October, falling short of economists' expectations for a 0.1% rise, the Census Bureau said Tuesday. However, sales excluding autos and gas rose 0.5% from the previous month, beating the projected 0.4% increase.
* S&P Global's flash US manufacturing PMI fell to 51.8 in December from 52.2 in November, marking a five-month low and missing Bloomberg's forecast of 52.1. The services PMI also declined more than expected, dropping to a six-month low of 52.9 from 54.1, below the projected 54.0.
* January West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $1.57 to settle at $55.25 per barrel, while February Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.67 at $58.89.
* B. Riley Financial (RILY) shares rose roughly 55% in active trading after the company reported a return to profit in fiscal Q2, driven by higher revenue compared with the same period last year.
* Phillips 66 (PSX) shares were down about 6.5% after the company said Monday it plans to spend $2.4 billion in 2026, including $1.1 billion for sustaining operations and $1.3 billion for growth projects.
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