NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded mixed on Tuesday as high Treasury yields kept investors on edge.
At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 104.90 points, or 0.42 percent, to 25,114.48. The S&P 500 increased 0.21 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,732.43. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 44.05 points, or 0.61 percent, to 7,283.52.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 2.902 percent, putting pressure on the stocks.
Rising bond yields are traditionally seen as bad for stocks as it means large companies will have to spend more to finance their debts as interest rates increase.
On the earnings front, Walmart on Tuesday reported earnings that missed analysts' expectations for the holiday period. The retail giant reported adjusted earnings per share of 1.33 U.S. dollars, lower than the 1.37 dollars expected. Shares of the company plunged more than nine percent to trade at 94.85 dollars apiece in intraday trading.
Meanwhile, Home Depot, also a Dow component, reported earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations. It reported adjusted fourth quarter adjusted earnings per share of 1.69 dollars, higher than 1.61 dollars expected. Shares of the company rose 2.21 dollars to trade at 189.23 dollars apiece in intraday trading.
The markets were closed on Monday because of President's Day holiday. Enditem
