U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday, as developments in Ukraine and Russia continued to trouble investors. In U.S. economic news, the Labor Department reported that job openings increased very slightly in June to the highest number since February 2001. The small business optimism index edged higher in July, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. . The dollar gained ground against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners. Light sweet crude oil for September delivery dropped 71 cents to $97.37 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures climbed 10 cents to $1,310.60 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 9.50, or 0.06 percent, to 16,560.48. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 3.17, or 0.16 percent, to 1,933.75. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 12.08, or 0.27 percent, to 4,389.25.
