MARKET SNAPSHOT: Dow, S&P 500 Struggle To Extend Record Run

Lennar Corp shares jump after beating earnings estimates

U.S. stock-market indexes pulled back slightly on Tuesday, pressured by falling energy shares following a sharp drop lower oil prices.

The S&P 500 was off by 6 points, or 0.2%, to 2,447, with eight of the 11 main sectors trading lower. The energy sector was down more than 1%, leading the losers. The main benchmark was only a few points below its record close set on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average switched between small gains and losses, briefly setting an intraday record at 21,535.03. Recently, it traded flat at 21,530. Chevron Corp.(CVX) fell 1.5%, while Verizon Communication Inc.(VZ) was down 1.3%.

The Nasdaq Composite Index was down by 16 points, or 0.3%, to 6,223. The tech-heavy index has moved sharply lower over the past two weeks on concerns the high-value tech industry is in a bubble.

Some analysts expect a sideways move over the next few weeks due to lack of fundamental news until the next earning season.

"The rotation [out of technology stocks] which in part may have been attributed to last week's options expiration, we think, continues as investors' psychology shifts. We suspect that more winding and grinding ahead of second-quarter earnings season in a few weeks will keep the flame of the positive trend from faltering," wrote Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial.

There are also fears that higher Federal Reserve interest rates will trigger a market move into more defensive stock sectors.

On Tuesday, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said that low interest rates do pose financial stability concerns that central bankers and the private sector must take seriously.

Rosengren's remarks come after the Federal Reserve last week raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point and outlined a plan for shrinking of its massive balance sheet. A speech by House Speaker Paul Ryan on tax reform later Tuesday was expected to be in the limelight as well.

Read:Tech selloff remains a concern after Fed hike, tepid economic growth (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tech-selloff-remains-a-concern-after-fed-hike-tepid-economic-growth-2017-06-17)

Fed speakers: Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said late Monday the central bank could be done raising rates this year (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-evans-says-possible-there-will-be-no-more-rate-hikes-this-year-2017-06-19). He said he supports the current policy of "very gradual" interest-rate hikes and a slow reduction of the balance sheet. Earlier on Monday, New York Fed President William Dudley struck a hawkish tone (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-dudley-says-hes-not-paying-attention-to-bond-markets-signals-of-concerns-2017-06-19), arguing against slowing the pace of interest-rate increases.

In other Fed news, Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said early Tuesday that he was worried memories might be fading (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-fischer-says-hes-worried-memories-are-fading-about-housings-pivotal-role-in-financial-crisis-2017-06-20) about the pivotal role that housing played in the financial crisis.

In a speech in Amsterdam to a conference co-sponsored by the central banks of Sweden and the Netherlands, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-rosengren-says-low-interest-rates-do-raise-financial-stability-concerns-2017-06-20) said lower rates may be a more permanent feature on the economic landscape because they reflect broad population trends.

Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan will participate in a moderated discussion at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco at 3 p.m. Eastern.

The ICE Dollar Index was flat at 97.586 as investors digested the latest Fed news.

On the economic docket for Tuesday, the current-account deficit for the first quarter rose by 2.5% to $116.8 billion in first quarter. See:MarketWatch's economic calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)

(http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)Politics: Ryan is set to deliver his first major speech on tax reform at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. He is expected to express confidence that the Republican can deliver on their promises of a major tax overhaul this year, despite a range of challenges facing his party.

One of the biggest hurdles is agreeing on whether or not to add a border adjustment to the corporate tax, which would tax imports and exempt exports.

Hopes for a groundbreaking tax shake-up were partly behind the so-called Trump trade that lifted stocks sharply after the election in November. However, after the Republicans struggled with pushing through their health-care reform earlier this year, investors started to scale back expectations of imminent changes.

Stock movers: Shares of Lennar Corp.(LEN) surged nearly 5% after the home builder reported fiscal second-quarter results that were well above expectations. Rivals D.R. Horton Inc.(DHI) and PulteGroup Inc.(PHM) also rose by more than 2%.

Tesla Inc.(TSLA) gained 3.6% after the electric-car maker was found "not guilty" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tesla-found-not-guilty-in-fatal-may-2016-crash-says-ntsb-2017-06-20) in a May 2016 fatal crash.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) dived more than 5% after the burrito chain said Monday that it is spending more on marketing as it looks to recover from its E.coli crisis.

Shares of oil companies were among the worst performers. Transocean Ltd.(RIG) was down 4.4%, Marathon Oil Corp(MRO) was down 3.8% and Hess Corp.(HES) was down 3.4%.

Other markets:Asian stocks closed mixed (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nikkei-leaps-to-22-month-high-other-asian-markets-quiet-2017-06-19), with Japan's Nikkei 225 index rising for a third straight day.

European markets mainly advanced (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-get-a-lift-from-consumer-shares-tech-recovery-2017-06-20), setting Germany's DAX 30 index on track for a fresh record.

Crude oil sank to a fresh seven-month low (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-hovers-at-seven-month-low-as-investors-weigh-up-supply-issues-2017-06-20), falling more than 2% to $43.36 a barrel. Gold was trading unchanged.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 20, 2017 09:59 ET (13:59 GMT)