-- US equity indexes fell, giving up intraday gains, as crude oil futures gathered momentum in midday trading on Tuesday, with investors still awaiting confirmation from Iran that it will attend the second round of peace talks in Pakistan.
The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.1% to 24,380.8, with the S&P 500 down 0.2% to 7,097.6 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower by 0.2% to 49,337.5. All three gauges traded higher earlier in the session amid the flow of quarterly results.
President Donald Trump told CNBC on Tuesday that he expects the US and Iran to make a "great deal," referring to the proposed second round of talks in Islamabad that Iran has yet to confirm it will attend. The president added, however, that the US military is "ready" to bomb Iran if a deal is not signed by the ceasefire deadline Wednesday evening and that he does not want to extend it.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures climbed 4.3% to $93.50, and Brent crude futures advanced 2.8% to $98.17.
In company news, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) raised its full-year earnings outlook on Tuesday, as the health insurance giant recorded an unexpected annual increase in its Q1 results. Shares jumped 7.6%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Dow.
D.R. Horton's (DHI) fiscal Q2 results came in better than expected, although the homebuilder tempered its full-year revenue outlook. Shares advanced 7.1%, among the S&P 500's outperformers.