12:50 PM EDT, 07/02/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes traded mixed while most government bond yields fell in midday trading on Tuesday.

The Nasdaq rose 0.1% to 17,897.3. The S&P 500 climbed less than 0.1% to 5,475.5. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.1% to 39,107.1. Consumer discretionary led the gainers while the financial sector was the steepest decliner intraday.

The US 10-year Treasury yield fell 3.4 basis points to 4.44%, with the two-, five-, and 30-year rates trading lower.

In economic news, the US job openings rose to 8.140 million in May from a revised 7.919 million in April and above the 7.946 million expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Hiring rose to 5.756 million from 5.615 million. The number of people quitting jobs and those laid off increased sequentially in May.

Data released Tuesday by Paychex (PAYX) showed that hiring by small businesses decelerated in June. According to the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch, the jobs index came in at 100.29, versus 100.58 in May and 101.37 a year ago. An index value of over 100 shows job gains. The report is focused exclusively on businesses with fewer than 50 workers.

Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped 0.1% to $83.29 a barrel.

In company news, Tesla's (TSLA) stronger-than-projected Q2 deliveries mark "a huge comeback" by the electric vehicle maker, with the worst now likely in the rearview mirror for the company, Wedbush Securities said Tuesday. Shares of the company surged 8.9% intraday, the top performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

Gold fell 0.3% to $2,330.91 an ounce, while silver rose 0.2% to $29.67.