U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday, as investors prepared for corporate earnings. In U.S. economic news, the Federal Reserve said that consumer credit continued to expand in November. In international news, a report showed that the unemployment rate topped a record high in the eurozone. In corporate news, aluminum producer Alcoa reported results that beat analysts' revenue forecasts and hit profit forecasts of 6 cents per share. Shares of the company rose after hours following the earnings release. Agriculture firm Monsanto reported earnings ahead of the opening bell that blew past estimates. It also raised its guidance for the year. The dollar rose versus the pound, but fell against the yen and the euro. Light sweet crude oil for February delivery lost 4 cents to $93.15 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures gained $15.90 to $1,662.20. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 55.44, or 0.41 percent, to 13,328.85. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 4.74, or 0.32 percent, to 1,457.15. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 7.00, or 0.23 percent, to 3,091.81.
