Stocks of the United States ended lower on Tuesday following reports that trade negotiations between the U.S. and Europe had made little progress.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 155.83 points, or 0.38 percent, to 40,368.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 8.32 points, or 0.05 percent, to 16,823.17. The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 9.34 points, or 0.17 percent, to 5,396.63.
Seven of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended in red, with consumer discretionary and health leading the laggards by dropping 0.80 percent and 0.69 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, technology and financials led the gainers by rising 0.34 percent and 0.23 percent, respectively.
Large tech stocks showed mixed performance: Netflix rose over 4 percent; Nvidia gained more than 1 percent; while Amazon fell more than 1 percent.
After experiencing sharp volatility last week, U.S. treasury prices rose on Tuesday.
The yield on the 10-year treasury bonds fell by about 5.5 base points to around 4.315 percent at the close.
While panic in the treasury market has eased somewhat compared with last week, analysts believe U.S. treasury bonds remain relatively unstable, especially given the ongoing uncertainty of U.S. tariff policy.
In Europe, all three major stock indexes, FTSE 100, DAX and Paris CAC40, rose on Tuesday, boosted by gains in the real estate and banking sectors.
Stock markets in both Britain and Germany posted gains of more than 1 percent.
Oil prices dipped on Tuesday.
The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery sagged 0.33 percent to settle at 61.33 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Brent crude for June delivery decreased 0.32 percent to settle at 64.67 U.S. dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange. In the precious metals market, international gold prices rose on Tuesday as market risk aversion continued to be dominated by U.S. tariff threats.
By the close of trading, the June gold futures price on the New York Mercantile Exchange had edged up 0.44 percent from the previous trading day, settling at 3,240.4 U.S. dollars per ounce.
US stocks close lower on Tuesday
US stocks close lower on Tuesday
US stocks close lower on Tuesday
China's waterway passenger traffic during the five-day May Day holiday is projected to reach 7.75 million trips, more than 11 percent higher year on year as sailing continue to gain popularity as a holiday activity in recent years.
The holiday, celebrated annually from May 1-5, is one of China's busiest travel and leisure periods, as people across the country take advantage of the time off to relax, travel and seek out entertaining activities.
Nighttime sightseeing tours are already seeing significant growth this holiday period, with riverfront cities like Liuzhou, Guangzhou, and Ningbo reporting heightened interest.
In Liuzhou City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Liujiang River -- dubbed the "Hundred-Mile Liujiang" for its scenic waterfront -- is expected to attract 38,400 night cruise passengers during the holiday.
"It feels so comfortable and pleasant in this gentle breeze," said a passenger aboard a river ship.
Guangdong Province's Pearl River cruises have sold tickets for over 900 trips that will take place during the five-day holiday, serving more than 150,000 passengers. To enhance tourism appeal, operators introduced combo tickets bundling daytime river tours with visits to the Guangdong Provincial Museum.
Meanwhile, eco-friendly electric vessels, praised for reduced noise and emissions, dominated the night cruise fleet in the provincial capital of Guangzhou.
In preparation for increased passenger flows, maritime authorities prioritized safety checks on new-energy ships, including inspections of battery systems and crew training.
"We focused on conducting a safety hazard inspection of the battery power equipment of new energy ships and strengthened the inspection of the crew's operation ability of the battery power equipment," said Yao Zhi, vice-captain of the Xihe maritime patrol enforcement brigade under the Neigang Maritime Safety Administration in Guangzhou.
In Ningbo, another coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province, the estuary of the Yuyao, Fenghua and Yong Rivers has been designated as the starting point of the "Three Rivers Night Tour" route, offering views of the city's bridges and waterfront landmarks.
Local officials implemented real-time monitoring of cruise operations to ensure safety.
"By setting a night cruise ship live monitoring special channel, we provide full-process safety protection for passengers from the moment they board the ship until they all disembark. We focus on conducting full coverage inspections of vessels in the waters around passing passenger ships," said Zhao Houyong, vice-captain of the Jiangxia maritime patrol enforcement brigade of the Sanjiangkou Maritime Safety Administration in Ningbo.
China's waterway to handle over 7.7 mln passenger trips in May Day holiday
