US stock indices mixed at close amid rising bond yields

US stock indices were mixed, with Treasury yields rising following the remarks of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and fears that the US economy will be hit by a potential trade war.

At the end of Tuesday's trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, or 123 points, to 44,593 points. The S&P 500 settled at 6,068 points, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.35%, or 70 points, to 19,643 points.

Among the European markets, the STOXX Europe 600 rose 0.25% to close at 547.1 points, the highest level ever for the European index.

Germany's DAX gained 0.6% to 22,037 points, hitting a record closing high. The UK’s FTSE edged up 0.1% to 8,777 points, while France's CAC rose 0.3% to 8,028 points.

In Japan, financial markets were closed on a public holiday in celebration of National Foundation Day. Trading will resume tomorrow.

In the oil market, the Brent crude futures for April delivery rose by 1.5%, or $ 1.13, to $ 77 a barrel.

The US NYMEX crude futures for March delivery grew by 1.4% or $1, to $ 73.32 a barrel.

Gold futures for April settled at $ 2932.60 an ounce, after touching $ 2968.50.

This follows Powell’s statement during his testimony before the Senate that the Fed does not need to move quickly to ease monetary policy, attributing this to the strength of the economy and the labor market, and inflation exceeding its target of 2%.