Stocks are closing narrowly mixed after a report that a second European bailout fund was being considered set off a brief, late-day rally.
Stocks rose late Tuesday following a report that European leaders might create another bailout fund in addition to the one that already exists.
The market was stuck in neutral for most of the day. Earlier, Standard & Poor's threatened to downgrade nations that use the euro. Indexes eventually drifted back toward where they started.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 52 points, or 0.4 percent, at 12,150. The S&P 500 closed up a point at 1,258. The Nasdaq fell 6, or 0.2 percent, to 2,649.
Rising stocks and declining ones were evenly split on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was light at 3.7 billion shares.