AlQa'dah 15, 1435, September 10, 2014, SPA -- U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday, as Treasury yields climbed and investors considered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) would start raising interest rates. In U.S. economic news, the National Federation of Independent Business said its index of small-business optimism edged higher last month, with more owners expecting conditions to improve in coming months. Reports later in the week could show strengthening retail sales and fewer Americans filing for jobless benefits, with the Fed monitoring the health of the economy as it tapers its bond purchases and weighs when to begin hiking rates. The dollar gained against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners. Light sweet crude oil for October delivery rose 9 cents to $92.75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures dropped $5.80 to $1,248.50 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 97.55, or 0.6 percent, at 17,013.87. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13.09, or 0.7 percent, to 1,988.45. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 40.00, or 0.9 percent, to 4,552.29.
