02:16 PM EDT, 10/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were lower intraday as traders parsed the latest batch of corporate earnings, while oil prices slumped.

The Nasdaq Composite was down 1% at 18,320.4 after midday Tuesday, while the S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 5,828.7. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4% to 42,905.5. Among sectors, energy saw the steepest decline, while real estate led the gainers.

In company news, ASML ( ASML ) shares were down nearly 17%, the worst performer on the Nasdaq, after the company's fiscal 2025 sales outlook fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Separately, ASML ( ASML ) said it published its fiscal third-quarter results ahead of schedule to ensure transparency after information relating to the quarter was "erroneously published" on its website.

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) narrowed its full-year earnings outlook amid a higher-than-expected impact from business disruptions tied to a cybersecurity incident earlier in the year. The health insurer's shares were down 6.7%, the steepest decline on the Dow.

Walgreens Boots Alliance ( WBA ) was the best performer on the S&P 500, up 12%, after the company posted fiscal fourth-quarter results ahead of the Street's views.

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

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 4.6% at $70.44 a barrel intraday after Israel reportedly said it doesn't plan to target Iran's oil facilities.

Separately, the International Energy Agency reduced its global oil demand growth outlook for 2024 amid weakness in China. On Monday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its 2024 and 2025 global oil demand projections while holding supply estimates steady.

The US 10-year yield fell 3.2 basis points to 4.04% intraday, while the two-year rate rose 2.1 basis points to 3.96%.

Last month, the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark lending rate by 50 basis points, its first cut since March 2020. Policymakers tightened monetary policy from March 2022 through July 2023 to combat inflation.

"I see this (September) recalibration as 'right-sizing,' recognizing the progress we've made and loosening the policy reins a bit, but not letting go," San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said Tuesday. "Even with this adjustment, policy remains restrictive, exerting additional downward pressure on inflation to ensure it reaches 2%."

Gold was up 0.6% at $2,680.70 per troy ounce, while silver rose 1.5% to $31.77 per ounce.