U.S. stocks finished lower Tuesday, as investors were cautious ahead of meetings by U.S. and European central bankers. While investors examined several encouraging economic reports, they were waiting for central bank meetings when they will find out whether the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank will announce new stimulus measures to strengthen the economy. In world markets, European stock ended mixed, as the FTSE 100 in Britain fell 0.8 percent and the DAX in Germany rose 0.2 percent. Asian markets also ended mixed, as the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3 percent and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 1.1 percent. In U.S. economic news, U.S. consumer spending was flat in June, but when adjusted for inflation, it fell for the first time in almost a year, the Commerce Department said. Consumer spending fell 0.1 percent when adjusted for rising prices. Before making price adjustments, the flat spending figure was below economist expectations for a slight increase. Separately, U.S. consumer confidence rose unexpectedly in July on more optimism about the short-term outlook, according to a report by the Conference Board. The private research organization said its overall index of consumer attitudes climbed to 65.9 this month from 62.7 in June, surpassing economist expectations for a decline to 61.5. Meanwhile, U.S. single-family home prices rose in May for the fourth consecutive month on a seasonally adjusted basis, a survey showed. The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas increased 0.9 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis, which topped economists' expectations for a 0.5 percent gain. The U.S. dollar fell against the euro and rose against the yen. Light sweet crude oil for September delivery fell $2.18 to $87.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures lost $9.20 to $1,610.50 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 64.33, or 0.5 percent, to 13,008.68. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.98, or 0.4 percent, to 1,379.32. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 6.32, or 0.2 percent, to 2,939.52.
