Investing.com -- Stocks on the U.S. equities markets were broadly lower on Tuesday snapping a two-day winning streak, to cap one of the most volatile months in recent memory.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 200 points or 1.11% on Tuesday to drop into negative territory for the year at 17,776.12. The Dow closed on the final day of trading in 2014 at 17,823.07, after a relatively stable month of trading in December. It marked the first time the Dow has posted a negative quarter since the fourth quarter of 2012. The Dow fell to 17,164 in a bearish January, but rose nearly 1,000 points during a bullish February to close at 18,132.70.
Although stocks on the NASDAQ Composite Index and the S&P 500 Composite Index closed lower for the day on Tuesday, both indices posted gains for the quarter. The NASDAQ fell 0.94% or 46.55 to 4,900.89 on Tuesday, but still ended the quarter up 3.48% -- the highest of the three indices. The S&P 500, meanwhile, rose by 0.44% for the quarter to 2,067.89, to keep its streak of winning quarters intact at nine.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 fell by 0.88% or 18.35 points as stocks in the Health Care, Industrial and Energy sectors lagged. Of the 10 sectors on the S&P 500, only Utilities closed in the green, edging up by 0.01% on the day.
For the quarter as a whole, Health Care stocks were up by roughly 7%, followed by stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector, which increased approximately by 5%. Stocks in the Information Technology, Telecommunication Services and Consumer Staples sectors inched up for the quarter about 1%.
The top performer on the Dow on Tuesday was Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO), which gained 0.10% or 0.04 to 40.55. The worst performer was UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), which fell 2.71 or 2.24% to 118.29, one day after its acquisition of Catamaran Corporation (NASDAQ:NASDAQ:CTRX), an Illinois-based pharmacy benefits manager, in a $12.8 billion deal. For the quarter, shares in UnitedHealth were still up by roughly 17%. Other out performers on the Dow for the quarter included: Disney and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), which both increased by more than 10%.
The biggest gainer on the NASDAQ was Charter Communications Inc (NASDAQ:CHTR), which gained 9.72 or 5.30% to 193.11 after announcing its acquisition of Bright House Networks in a $10.4 billion deal. The biggest loser was Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG), which fell 4.74 or 3.95% to 115.28. For the quarter, Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ:KRFT) surged more than 35% following its merger with Heinz.
The top performer on the S&P 500 was CBRE Group Inc (NYSE:CBG), which rose 9.72 or 5.30% to 193.11. Celgene was also the worst performer on the S&P 500. For the quarter, Hospira Inc. (NYSE:HSP), an Illinois-based pharmaceutical and medical device company, was up more than 40% following its merger with Pfizer.