U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Tuesday. In U.S. economic news, wholesale inventories declined 0.1 percent in December, which was less than expected. The latest JOLTS survey showed that job openings rose in December. In international economic news, European equities followed Asian stocks lower, with the pan-European STOXX 600 index dropping over 1.5 percent. The dollar fell 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies. Light sweet crude oil for March delivery lost $1.25 to $28.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures declined $7.20 to $1,190.70 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average decreased 9.80, or 0.06, to 16,017.25. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 1.23, or 0.07 percent, to 1,852.21. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 14.99, or 0.35 percent, to 4,268.76.
