U.S. stocks closed little changed after China's move to stabilize its financial markets left investors to focus on the prospects for global growth amid renewed selling in crude oil and weaker-than-expected auto sales.

Stocks in China rose Tuesday in volatile trading, stabilizing after weaker factory data from the world's second-largest economy sparked a worldwide selloff on Monday. State-backed funds were said to intervene after yesterday's 7 percent plunge in the CSI 300 Index of large-capitalization companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen wiped out $590 billion of market value. European equities also climbed after a 2.5 percent rout on Monday.

Even as yesterday ranked as the sixth-worst start to a year for the S&P 500 since 1932, the move is less surprising when compared with how the gauge usually fares. The index has moved an average 1.1 percent in either direction on opening day, compared with an average daily move of 0.77 percent on all other days.

Following Monday's rout, investors stuck with what worked last year. Health-care and consumer staples shares, two of 2015's best performers, were among the leaders. Technology shares slipped the most under Apple's drag. Seven of the S&P 500's 10 main industries were higher, with phone companies posting the strongest advance.

Sentiment has turned more cautious on stocks amid the Federal Reserve's first interest-rate increase since 2006, and forecasts for little to no growth in corporate earnings before the spring. Strategists at Citigroup Inc. cut their view on U.S. equities to underweight Tuesday, saying that while they're not especially bearish, they see better opportunities in Europe and Japan. "After outperforming for six consecutive years, maybe U.S. equities are due a breather," the firm wrote in a note.

Fed officials expect the pace of future rate increases to be gradual, though they have stressed that the path depends on progress in economic data. A report Monday showed the fastest contraction in U.S. manufacturing in six years, adding to worries that weakness in China's economy is spreading. Investors will look for further clues this week in data on services industry growth, factory activity, employment and minutes from the Fed's December meeting.

Polish equity market closed lower on Tuesday. The broad measure, the WIG index, lost 0.34%. Sector performance within the WIG Index was mixed. Chemicals sector (+3.57%) was best performer, while utilities (-2.01%) recorded the worst result.

The large-cap benchmark, the WIG30 Index, fell by 0.46%. Within the index components, gencos TAURON PE (WSE: TPE) and ENERGA (WSE: ENG) were the weakest performers, tumbling by 4.26% and 4.24% respectively. Other major losers included financial sector names HANDLOWY (WSE: BHW), PEKAO (WSE: PEO) and PZU (WSE: PZU), slumping 2.89%, 2.58% and 2.12% respectively. On the other side of the ledger, FMCG wholesaler EUROCASH (WSE: EUR) led the advancers, climbing by 7.32% after two consecutive sessions of declines. It was followed by chemical producers GRUPA AZOTY (WSE: ATT) and SYNTHOS (WSE: SNS), jumping by 5.31% and 4.32% respectively.

The Warsaw Stock Exchange will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 6, due to celebration of Epiphany or Three Kings' Day (Święto Trzech Króli) in Poland.

Stock indices traded higher despite concerns over the slowdown in the Chinese economy.

Meanwhile, the economic data from Eurozone was mixed. Eurostat released its consumer price inflation data for the Eurozone on Tuesday. The preliminary consumer price inflation in the Eurozone remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.2% in December, missing expectations for a rise to 0.4%.

The preliminary consumer price inflation excluding food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.9% in December, in line with expectations.

Food, alcohol and tobacco prices were up 1.2% in December, non-energy industrial goods prices gained 0.5%, and services prices climbed 1.1%, while energy prices dropped 5.9%.

The Federal Labour Agency released its unemployment figures for Germany on Tuesday. The number of unemployed people in Germany fell by 14,000 in December, exceeding expectations for a 7,000 decline, after a 14,000 decrease in November. November's figure was revised up from a 13,000 decline.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.3% in December, in line with expectations.

Markit's and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply's construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the U.K. rose to 57.8 in December from 55.3 in November, exceeding expectations for an increase to 56.0.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the construction sector.

The index was driven by a rise in commercial construction.

"UK construction companies finished 2015 in a positive fashion, as overall output growth recovered from November's seven-month low. Commercial building was the main engine of growth, with this area of activity expanding at the strongest pace since autumn 2014. There was also a rebound in house building activity in December, but momentum was still much softer than the post-crisis highs achieved during 2014," Senior Economist at Markit, Tim Moore, said.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,137.24 +43.81 +0.72 %

DAX 10,310.1 +26.66 +0.26 %

CAC 40 4,537.63 +15.18 +0.34 %

Major U.S. stock indexes higher on Tuesday as investors recovered from a bruising selloff on the first trading day of the year. Stock markets plunged on Monday after weak Chinese economic data rekindled fears of a global slowdown, prompting a near-$20 billion injection by the People's Bank of China to stabilize its markets. U.S. stocks closed sharply lower on Monday, with the Dow making its worst start to a year since 2008. Weak U.S. factory data also added to the worries.

Most of Dow stocks in positive area (18 of 30). Top looser - American Express Company (AXP, -2,23%). Top gainer - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT, +1.87%).

Almost all S&P sectors also in positive area. Top looser - Basic Materials (-0,7%). Top gainer - Conglomerates (+1,2%).

At the moment:

Dow 17037.00 -48.00 -0.28%

S&P 500 2006.50 -2.50 -0.12%

Nasdaq 100 4492.75 -11.75 -0.26%

Oil 36.39 -0.37 -1.01%

Gold 1076.90 +1.70 +0.16%

U.S. 10yr 2.25 +0.01

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economic Maurice Obstfeld said in an interview with IMF Survey on Monday that the slowdown in the Chinese economy could again have a negative impact on the global financial markets in 2016.

"Growth below the authorities' official targets could again spook global financial markets," he said.

Obstfeld pointed out that the spillovers from the slowdown in Chinese economy have been larger than expected.

"The global spillovers from China's reduced rate of growth, through its diminished imports and lower demand for commodities, have been much larger than we would have anticipated," the IMF chief economist noted.

The European Central Bank (ECB) purchased €50.3 billion of public and private debt under its quantitative-easing program in December, compared to €62.6 billion in November.

The ECB bought €44.3 billion of government and agency bonds in December, €5.8 billion of covered bonds, and €0.1 billion of asset-backed securities.

The ECB kept its interest rate unchanged at 0.05% on December 04, but lowered its deposit rate to -0.3% from -0.2%. The asset-buying programme will be extended until the end of March 2017. The volume of the monthly purchases remained unchanged.

Spain's labour ministry release its labour market figures on Tuesday The number of registered unemployed people dropped by 55,790 in December, after a 27,071 fall in November.

The decline was mainly driven by a rise in temporary services jobs.

The total number of people registered as unemployed was 4.04 million in 2015, down by 354,203 from the last year.

U.S. stock-index futures fluctuated.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 18,374 -76.98 -0.42%

Hang Seng 21,188.72 -138.40 -0.65%

Shanghai Composite 3,287.71 -8.55 -0.26%

FTSE 6,129.56 +36.13 +0.59%

CAC 4,535.98 +13.53 +0.30%

DAX 10,313.4 +29.96 +0.29%

Crude oil $36.87 (+0.30%)

Gold $1078.00 (+0.26%)

(company / ticker / price / change, % / volume)

Upgrades:

Downgrades:

DuPont (DD) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup

Walt Disney (DIS) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie

Other:

Statistics Canada released its industrial product and raw materials price indexes on Tuesday. The Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) fell 0.2% in November, after a 0.5% decline in October.

The decrease was mainly driven lower prices for primary non-ferrous metal products, which slid 3.5% in November.

11 of the 21 commodity groups increased, 8 declined and 2 was unchanged.

The Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI) dropped 4.0% in November, after a flat reading in October. October's figure was revised down from a 0.4% rise.

The drop was driven by lower prices for crude energy products. Crude energy products fell by 5.7% in November.

2 of the 6 commodity groups rose and 4 decreased.

Stock indices traded lower as the weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data continued to weigh.

Meanwhile, the economic data from Eurozone was mixed. Eurostat released its consumer price inflation data for the Eurozone on Tuesday. The preliminary consumer price inflation in the Eurozone remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.2% in December, missing expectations for a rise to 0.4%.

The preliminary consumer price inflation excluding food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.9% in December, in line with expectations.

Food, alcohol and tobacco prices were up 1.2% in December, non-energy industrial goods prices gained 0.5%, and services prices climbed 1.1%, while energy prices dropped 5.9%.

The Federal Labour Agency released its unemployment figures for Germany on Tuesday. The number of unemployed people in Germany fell by 14,000 in December, exceeding expectations for a 7,000 decline, after a 14,000 decrease in November. November's figure was revised up from a 13,000 decline.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.3% in December, in line with expectations.

Markit's and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply's construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the U.K. rose to 57.8 in December from 55.3 in November, exceeding expectations for an increase to 56.0.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the construction sector.

The index was driven by a rise in commercial construction.

"UK construction companies finished 2015 in a positive fashion, as overall output growth recovered from November's seven-month low. Commercial building was the main engine of growth, with this area of activity expanding at the strongest pace since autumn 2014. There was also a rebound in house building activity in December, but momentum was still much softer than the post-crisis highs achieved during 2014," Senior Economist at Markit, Tim Moore, said.

Current figures:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,086.96 -6.47 -0.11 %

DAX 10,207.13 -76.31 -0.74 %

CAC 40 4,495.56 -26.89 -0.59 %

The People's Bank of China today added 130 billion yuan to the financial system. The central bank offered seven-day reverse repos at an interest rate of 2.25%. It was the biggest injection since September 2015.

The Italian statistical office Istat released its preliminary consumer price inflation data for Italy on Tuesday. Preliminary consumer prices in Italy were flat in December, after a 0.4% fall in November.

Prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care rose 0.3% in December, while prices of durable goods increased 0.4%.

On a yearly basis, consumer prices climbed 0.1% in December, after a 0.1% increase in November.

The increase was mainly driven by higher prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care. Prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care rose 0.9% year-on-year in December, after a 0.6% gain in November.

Consumer price inflation excluding unprocessed food and energy prices fell to 0.6% year-on-year in December from 0.7% in November.

Eurostat released its consumer price inflation data for the Eurozone on Tuesday. The preliminary consumer price inflation in the Eurozone remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.2% in December, missing expectations for a rise to 0.4%.

The preliminary consumer price inflation excluding food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco remained unchanged at an annual rate of 0.9% in December, in line with expectations.

Food, alcohol and tobacco prices were up 1.2% in December, non-energy industrial goods prices gained 0.5%, and services prices climbed 1.1%, while energy prices dropped 5.9%.

The Federal Labour Agency released its unemployment figures for Germany on Tuesday. The number of unemployed people in Germany fell by 14,000 in December, exceeding expectations for a 7,000 decline, after a 14,000 decrease in November. November's figure was revised up from a 13,000 decline.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.3% in December, in line with expectations.

The number of unemployed people was 1.94 million in November, according to Destatis.

Destatis said that Germany's adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.5% in November.

The employment rate climbed to 65.9% in November from 65.4% in October, according to Destatis.

Markit's and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply's construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the U.K. rose to 57.8 in December from 55.3 in November, exceeding expectations for an increase to 56.0.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the construction sector.

The index was driven by a rise in commercial construction.

"UK construction companies finished 2015 in a positive fashion, as overall output growth recovered from November's seven-month low. Commercial building was the main engine of growth, with this area of activity expanding at the strongest pace since autumn 2014. There was also a rebound in house building activity in December, but momentum was still much softer than the post-crisis highs achieved during 2014," Senior Economist at Markit, Tim Moore, said.

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said on Sunday that it was the right decision to start raising interest rates in December.

"I fully supported the FOMC's December action: Based on the economic outlook, I thought it was prudent to take the first step on the path of gradual normalization of interest rates," she said.

Mester pointed out that further interest rate hikes will depend on the incoming economic data.

"The actual path the fed funds rate will follow will depend on the economic outlook as informed by incoming information, but according to the FOMC's current assessment of the outlook, monetary policy is expected to remain accommodative for some time to come, with rates expected to move up only gradually to more normal levels," Cleveland Fed president noted.

"Starting on the gradual normalization path now helps ensure that policy doesn't lag too far behind the economy," she added.

U.S. stock indices posted sharp declines on Monday amid a global stock selloff, which was triggered by tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Recent weak data on China's economy contributed to these declines.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 276.09 points, or 1.6%, to 17,148.94. The S&P 500 lost 31.28 points, or 1.5%, to 2,012.66 (all of its 10 sectors declined). The Nasdaq Composite dropped 104.32 points, or 2.1%, to 4,903.09.

A report from the Institute for Supply Management showed that activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector declined slightly in December. The corresponding index came in at 48.2 points compared to 48.6 points in the previous month.

Meanwhile construction spending unexpectedly declined in November offsetting a gain in the previous month. According to data by the U.S. Commerce Department, construction spending fell by 0.4% in November on a seasonally adjusted basis. Spending was expected to have grown by 0.5% after a 0.3% gain in October (revised from +1.0%). Construction spending rose by 10.5% on a y/y basis.

This morning in Asia Hong Kong Hang Seng fell 0.29%, or 62.59, to 21,264.53. China Shanghai Composite Index stabilized 0.00% with a margin 0.15 gain at 3,296.40. The Nikkei edged up 0.08%, or 14.25, to 18,465.23.

Asian stock indices traded mixed a day after Chinese stocks tumbled 7% amid disappointing economic data. Investors are concerned about China's economic growth and tensions in the Middle East. Japanese stocks climbed after China's markets stabilized.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei 225 18,450.98 -582.73 -3.06 %

Hang Seng 21,327.12 -587.28 -2.68 %

Shanghai Composite 3,296.54 -242.64 -6.86 %

FTSE 100 6,093.43 -148.89 -2.39 %

CAC 40 4,522.45 -114.61 -2.47 %

Xetra DAX 10,283.44 -459.57 -4.28 %

S&P 500 2,012.66 -31.28 -1.53 %

NASDAQ Composite 4,903.09 -104.32 -2.08 %

Dow Jones 17,148.94 -276.09 -1.58 %