NEW YORK: The S&P 500 and Dow fell on Tuesday, dragged down by a string of earnings disappointments and doubts about a coronavirus stimulus package before Election Day, although Nasdaq rose ahead of results from mega-cap technology companies. Caterpillar Inc fell 3.1% and 3M Co slipped 1.8% after both the industrial companies reported a fall in quarterly earnings.

Investor sentiment sagged after the White House said a potential deal on Covid-19 relief could come in "weeks," casting doubt on whether an accord could be struck with Congress before the Nov. 3 election. Sectors sensitive to economic growth took a hit. The S&P 500 banks index and the S&P energy sector shed about 1% each.

At 12:34 p.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 122.58 points, or 0.46% to 27,562.80, the S&P 500 index lost 3.57 points, or 0.10% to 3,397.40 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 54.87 points or 0.48% to 11,413.81. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose as Microsoft Corp firmed 1.2% in the run-up to its results after the closing bell. The NYSE FANG+TM Index was up 1.4%.