US markets couldn't quite agree on a direction Tuesday, with the Dow Jones sliding more than 200 points while tech stocks managed modest gains. The split personality session saw the Dow drop 0.60% to 49,293.33, while the NASDAQ climbed 0.17% to 23,773.29. The S&P 500 landed somewhere in between, slipping 0.08% to 6,971.95.

Sector Performance: Energy Soars, Financials Stumble

Energy stocks were the clear winners Tuesday, jumping 1.4% as crude oil rallied hard. On the flip side, financial stocks had a rough day, dropping 1.8% to lead the laggards.

Inflation Refuses to Budge

The big economic story of the day came from inflation data that showed price pressures holding firm above where the Federal Reserve wants them. The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% year-over-year in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That matched both economist expectations and November's reading, so at least things aren't getting worse. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.3%, also perfectly in line with forecasts.

The data shows inflation didn't accelerate into year-end, but it's also not cooling down to the Fed's 2% target anytime soon. That's the kind of sticky inflation that keeps central bankers up at night.

Big Movers on the Upside

Beyond Air Inc (XAIR) absolutely exploded higher, rocketing 172% to $2.39. The catalyst? XTL Biopharmaceuticals agreed to acquire an 85% stake in its NeuroNOS subsidiary, with Beyond Air set to pocket up to $32.5 million in upfront, development and commercial milestone payments.

Ambitions Enterprise Management Co LLC (AHMA) more than doubled, surging 106% to $10.90 after reporting year-over-year growth in its first-half earnings per share.

TryHard Holdings Ltd (THH) jumped 77% to $40.96 on a double dose of good news. The company announced a binding collaboration agreement with Carnegie Hill Capital Partners to establish a Hong Kong-based investment fund, and separately unveiled a $10 million share repurchase program.

Notable Decliners

Signing Day Sports Inc (SGN) got crushed, plummeting 57% to $0.25 after pricing a $5.6 million public offering. Nothing kills a stock price quite like dilution.

Travere Therapeutics Inc (TVTX) dropped 32% to $23.16 following the release of preliminary fourth-quarter financial results that apparently didn't impress investors.

Wealthfront Corp (WLTH) fell 18% to $10.34 after reporting disappointing quarterly sales figures.

Commodities Rally

The commodity complex showed strength Tuesday. Oil led the charge, climbing 2.6% to $61.06, while gold edged up 0.1% to $4,620.80. Silver had a particularly strong session, jumping 4.4% to $88.860. Copper was the odd one out, slipping 0.1% to $6.0295.

Global Markets

European markets couldn't pick a direction either. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dipped 0.08%, while Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose 0.08%. London's FTSE 100 slipped 0.03%, Germany's DAX gained 0.06%, and France's CAC 40 fell 0.14%.

Asian markets closed mixed with some significant moves. Japan's Nikkei surged 3.10%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.90%, while China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.64% and India's BSE Sensex dropped 0.30%.

Economic Data Roundup

Beyond the headline inflation number, several other economic indicators crossed the wires. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index jumped to 99.5 in December, hitting its highest level since August. That's a positive sign for Main Street sentiment.

The RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index moved in the opposite direction, declining to 47.2 in January from 47.9 the previous month.

Housing data was mostly weak. Sales of new single-family homes fell 0.1% from the previous month to an annualized rate of 737,000 units in October. US building permits also declined, dropping 0.3% in October 2025 to an annualized rate of 1.411 million.