(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company news from the first paragraph.)
US equity indexes rose as technology topped sector charts while government bond yields and crude oil extended declines after Iran vowed to retaliate against the Trump administration's plans to choke its fragile economy.
The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.6% to 26,141.5, the S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to 7,675.6 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% to 53,493.8. Consumer staples and energy led the decliners.
Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, more than half of the top 10 names by intraday returns were in the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Of those seven firms, five were related to the semiconductor industry. Marvell Technology (MRVL) led the pack, up 5.6%.
US Treasury yields dropped after midday. The 30-year slumped 5.8 basis points to 5.17%, the 10-year dropped 5.9 basis points to 4.64% and the two-year retreated 5.3 basis points to 4.2%.
Iran pledged to fight back against expanded US sanctions aimed at isolating its economy, expressing confidence that major trading partners would resist the pressure campaign and saying that Washington was keen to revive talks, Reuters reported.
Hours after the US sanctioned dozens of Chinese entities and threatened to target an unspecified "major financial institution" for its dealings with Tehran, Beijing responded by saying its relationship with Iran "should not be disrupted or undermined," Bloomberg reported. China will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its interests, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian was cited as saying.
The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract retreated 3.4% to $82.09 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent slumped 3.8% to $88.69 per barrel.
A Canada-US trade deal could still be reached by year-end despite renewed tariff tensions, Commerzbank Research said in a Tuesday note. Monday's US tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel are set to take effect from the start of next year.
Meanwhile, in economic news, the Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence fell to 89.4 in August from 90.2 in July, compared with expectations for no change in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
New-home sales fell to a 607,000 annual rate in July from an upwardly revised 678,000 in June, below the 620,000 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Home sales were down 6.3% from a year ago.
The Richmond Fed's manufacturing index fell to 4 in August from 5 in July, below expectations for 7 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. In contrast, other regional manufacturing data already released have suggested a faster pace of expansion.
Redbook US same-store sales surged 9.1% from a year earlier in the week ended Aug. 22 after a 7.6% jump in the prior week. Redbook noted strong back-to-school sales.
In company news, Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) lowered its full-year outlook amid a challenging athletic footwear and apparel marketplace while fiscal Q2 results missed market estimates. Shares sank 29%. Among the steepest decliners on the Dow and the S&P 500 were sports goods retailers Nike (NKE) and Lululemon Athletics (LULU), down 2.7% and 4.2%, respectively.