Investing.com - U.S. stocks opened lower on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious ahead of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting, due to be released on Wednesday.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow 30 edged 0.19% lower, the S&P 500 fell 0.17%, while the NASDAQ Composite slipped 0.12%.
Markets were jittery ahead of the minutes from the Fed’s latest monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, as investors awaited further indications on the central bank's view of the economy.
Recent U.S. economic reports indicating that the recovery remains uneven have weighed on U.S. Treasury yields, pressuring the dollar lower.
In the tech sector, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) rose 0.20% amid reports the company has held talks to purchase video service Twitch Interactive with hopes of boosting its YouTube site.
Based in San Francisco, Twitch acts as a social gathering place for video gamers, letting them discuss games or watch other players.
U.S.-traded Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) shares rallied 1.07% a day after pleading guilty to aiding Americans’ tax evasion. Switzerland's second biggest lender, whose shares jumped 1.45% in extended trading, agreed to pay $2.6 billion to end the three-year U.S. tax probe.
In similar news, BP (NYSE:BP) dropped 0.80% after the Fifth Circuit appeals court in New Orleans on Monday rejected the comany's request for a full review of the its case regarding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
According to a Financial Times report, the oil and gas major is seeking to establish that the compensation settlement it agreed with plaintiffs' lawyers in 2012 is being interpreted unfairly.
Meanwhile, Home Depot (NYSE:HD) surged 2.21% even after reporting lower-than-expected first quarter earnings and revenue figures.
Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) also reported weaker-than-expected first quarter earnings, sending the retailer's shares diving 10.68%.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Salesforce.com Inc (NYSE:CRM), scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the closing bell.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 slipped 0.13%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.23%, Germany's DAX edged down 0.16%, while Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.55%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.57%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.49%.