U.S. stocks ended Tuesday slightly lower, as earlier gains faded by the end of the trading session. Investors remained cautious ahead of the important jobs report on Friday and a looming deadline for Greece and its lenders to find a solution to the debt crisis.

Treasury notes fell, pushing yields higher, on signs that global inflation may be rising from a low level. A report from Europe showed that consumer prices are rising there for the first time in six months.

Utilities led the declines as bond yields rose. The energy sector gained as oil prices climbed.

Сomponents of The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed mixed. Intel Corporation (INTC, -2.03%) was an outsider. The Boeing Company (BA, +1.40%) rose more than other.

Sectors of the S&P showed mixed dinamics too. Basic Materials grew more than other (+1.2%). Utilities fell 1.1%.

At the close:

Dow -0.16% 18,011.84 -28.53

Nasdaq -0.13% 5,076.53 -6.40

S&P -0.10% 2,109.59 -2.14