12:14 PM EDT, 05/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes fell in midday trading Tuesday as investors shifted to a defensive mood and lightened exposure to growth.

The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.4% to 19,135.2, with the S&P 500 down 0.3% to 5,946.3, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.2% lower at 42,725.5. Consumer staples, healthcare, and utilities were the only gainers while technology led the pack among decliners intraday.

Gold futures jumped 1.5% to $3,280.61 per ounce.

US Treasury yields traded mixed intraday. The US 10-year was up less than one basis point to 4.48%, after trading lower earlier in the session. The two-year rate fell 1.5 basis points to 3.97%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 0.4% to $62.43 a barrel.

In economic news, Redfin (RDFN) said Tuesday that US home prices dropped 0.1% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the first sequential decline since September 2022. Home prices rose 4.1% from a year ago, versus 4.9% growth in March and the lowest annual price growth since July 2023.

In company news, Pfizer ( PFE ) secured exclusive global rights, excluding China, to biopharmaceutical firm 3SBio's cancer treatment candidate in a licensing deal worth up to $6.05 billion.