The main US stock indexes declined on Tuesday, as investors avoided risky assets before a tense Thursday, when elections are held in Britain, and the former director of the FBI, Komi, will testify before the Congress about the possible connection between the presidential campaign of Trump and Russia.

In addition, according to a survey of vacancies and labor turnover (JOLTS), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US, in April the number of vacancies increased to 6.044 million. Meanwhile, the indicator for March was revised upward - to 5.785 million from 5.743 million. Analysts It was expected that the number of vacancies would drop to 5.650 million. The vacancy rate was 4.0% compared to 3.8% in March. The number of vacancies has increased both in the private sector (+220,000) and in the government segment (+39,000). For industries, the largest increase in vacancy rates was in the housing and food sector (+118,000), while the decline was seen in the durable goods sector (-30,000).

Most components of the DOW index closed in the red (18 out of 30). Most fell shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT, -1.68%). Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM, + 1.27%) was the leader of growth.

Most sectors of the S & P index recorded a decline. The service sector fell most of all (-0.7%). The leader of growth was the sector of basic materials (+ 0.8%).

At closing:

DJIA -0.21% 21,138.54 -45.50

Nasdaq -0.33% 6.275.06 -20.62

S & P -0.28% 2,429.40 -6.70

U.S. stock-index futures were lower as investors turned risk averse ahead of several notable events on Thursday, including the general election in the UK, the ECB's meeting, and former FBI Chief James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Stocks:

Nikkei 19,979.90 -190.92 -0.95%

Hang Seng 25,997.14 +134.15 +0.52%

Shanghai 3,102.33 +10.68 +0.35%

S&P/ASX 5,667.47 -87.39 -1.52%

FTSE 7,517.72 -8.04 -0.11%

CAC 5,271.03 -36.86 -0.69%

DAX 12,703.43 -119.51 -0.93%

Crude $47.26 (-0.30%)

Gold $1,294.60 (+0.93%)

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

FedEx (FDX) initiated with a Neutral at Seaport Global Securities

Amazon (AMZN) target raised to $1300 from $1075 at Maxim Group

U.K. stocks finished in negative territory Monday, weighed down by a gain in the pound after a fresh poll signaled a double-digit lead for the governing Conservative Party as a general election nears. A terror attack in London over the weekend added to the uncertainty around Thursday's parliamentary vote, but the Guardian/ICM poll out Monday suggested a change in government is unlikely.

U.S. stocks closed lower Monday, slightly below record levels, as investors grappled with a variety of geopolitical issues, such as terrorist attacks in London ahead of the U.K. election and the scheduled public testimony of fired Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.

Equity markets across Asia were lower early Tuesday, tracking overnight declines in the U.S., as cautious investors looked ahead to elections in the U.K. and a European Central Bank meeting. Investors are also looking for any fallout from former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey's public testimony about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. Comey's testimony is scheduled for Thursday, as are the U.K. elections and the ECB meeting.

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

Nikkei -6.46 20170.82 -0.03%

TOPIX -2.23 1609.97 -0.14%

Hang Seng -61.06 25862.99 -0.24%

CSI 300 -17.76 3468.75 -0.51%

Euro Stoxx 50 -12.27 3579.55 -0.34%

FTSE 100 -21.87 7525.76 -0.29%

DAX +158.02 12822.94 +1.25%

CAC 40 -35.52 5307.89 -0.66%

DJIA -22.25 21184.04 -0.10%

S&P 500 -2.97 2436.10 -0.12%

NASDAQ -10.11 6295.68 -0.16%

S&P/TSX -32.97 15409.78 -0.21%