Indices closed out mixed on Tuesday. The Dow added some gains. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended in the red zone. Travelers, Home Depot and American Express led the Dow’s slight ascent. Alcoa stood out among decliners. Meanwhile, crude oil tacked on $1.11 to settle at $86.92 a barrel. On another note, Commerce Department data showed housing starts fell 5% to 571,000 in August following a revised 601,000 in July. Economists had expected housing starts to hit 590,000. In merger news, United Technologies is in negotiations to acquire Goodrich Corporation for approximately $15 billion. Oracle posted quarterly data after the closing bell. The database titan reported revenue of $8.43 billion and earnings of 48 cents a share, up from $7.5 billion and 42 cents, a year ago.
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