12:38 PM EDT, 09/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes fell in choppy midday trading on Tuesday amid a decline in government bond yields and a sharp sell-off in crude oil.

The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.3% to 16,832.7, with the S&P 500 index down 0.4% to 5,449.6 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.9% lower at 40,474.7. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq traded higher earlier in the session. Barring real estate, utilities, and consumer discretionary, all sectors declined intraday.

In economic news, Redbook US same-store sales increased by 6.5% from a year earlier in the week ended Sept. 7 after a 6.3% year-over-year increase in the previous week. Redbook reported higher sales due to Labor Day promotions, especially on Sunday and Monday, as the back-to-school season peaked.

The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly Small Business Optimism Index fell to 91.2 in August, more than reversing a gain to 93.7 in July. It was below the 91.3 print a year earlier.

Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 4 basis points to 3.66% and the two-year rate 4.8 basis points lower at 3.62%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil plunged 4.3% to $65.75 a barrel.

In company news, Oracle (ORCL) shares soared more than 12% intraday, the top performer on the S&P 500, after multiple analyst price target upgrades following the company's fiscal Q1 results. The database management group reported, late Monday, higher fiscal Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue, which exceeded the average analyst estimates from Capital IQ.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) shares slumped 7.7% intraday, the worst performer on the S&P 500 after the company unveiled a $1.35 billion offering of convertible preferred shares.