03:45 PM EDT, 10/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were lower ahead of Tuesday's close as markets evaluated the latest batch of corporate earnings, while oil prices slumped.

The Nasdaq Composite was down 1.2% at 18,285.4, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% to 5,810.7. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.8% to 42,734.5. Among sectors, energy saw the steepest decline, while real estate led the gainers.

Shares of ASML ( ASML ) and UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) fell sharply after the companies reported their latest quarterly results, while Walgreens Boots Alliance ( WBA ) rallied.

United Airlines (UAL), Omnicom Group ( OMC ) and J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) are among the companies scheduled to report results after the closing bell.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 3.8% at $71 a barrel after Israel reportedly said it doesn't plan to target Iran's oil facilities.

The US 10-year yield fell 4.3 basis points to 4.03%, and the two-year rate rose one basis point to 3.95%.