Investing.com - U.S. stocks ended Tuesday mixed to higher, giving back much of their gains as falling oil prices battered energy stocks, offsetting positive third-quarter earnings.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow 30 fell 0.04%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.16%, while the NASDAQ Composite index rose 0.32%.
The Volatility S&P 500 index, which measures the outlook for market volatility, was down 7.55% at 22.78.
Wall Street has taken a series of blows in recent sessions on fears softening European and Asian economies could slow U.S. business concerns overseas.
By Tuesday, stocks rebounded, though broader indices came off earlier highs later in the session as energy stocks dropped on the coattails of falling oil prices.
The International Energy Agency earlier trimmed its global oil demand forecast for the fourth month in a row earlier, stoking fears that global supplies remain ample while demand cools across the globe.
The agency said it now expected global oil demand for 2014 to total 92.4 million barrels a day, down 200,000 barrels per day from its September report.
The IEA added that it believes that demand growth "may have touched bottom" and should steadily improve, which pushed down energy stocks.
Elsewhere, investors digested largely positive earnings out of the financial sector, which kept indices largely in positive territory by the closing bell.
J P Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) earnings missed consensus forecasts though revenue topped estimates, while fellow financial-sector giant Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) beat both revenue and earnings forecasts.
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) released profits that met expectations while revenue topped market forecasts.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), up 2.00%, Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), up 1.51%, and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT), up 1.25%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), down 2.16%, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), down 2.00%, and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), down 1.35%.
European indices, meanwhile, ended the day higher.
After the close of European trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.25%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.23%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.15%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 rose 0.42%.