US stocks edge higher at close amid pressure on technology sector

US stocks edged higher at the close of trading on Tuesday, amid pressure on technology stocks that pushed investors toward other sectors, including financial services.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average held steady at 49,533 points. The broader S&P 500 index rose 0.10%, or 7 points, to 6,843 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.14%, or 31 points, to 22,578 points.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.45% to 621 points at the close, amid positive performance across major bourses.

The UK’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.79% to 10,556 points, Germany’s DAX gained 0.80% to 24,998 points, and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.54% to 8,361 points.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.40% to 56,566 points, while the broader Topix index declined 0.70% to 3,761 points.

In oil markets, Brent crude futures for April delivery fell 1.79%, or $1.23, to $67.42 per barrel.

US Nymex crude futures for March delivery also declined 0.89%, or $0.56, to $62.33 per barrel.

As for gold, futures for April delivery dropped 2.78%, or $140.40, to $4,905.90 per ounce.

Investors are shunning away from technology and software companies amid concerns linked to artificial intelligence, boosting flows into other sectors, as investors await key economic data due this week to assess the outlook for monetary policy.