Stocks eased off their highs in the final minutes of trading to close narrowly mixed Tuesday, with the Dow logging its fifth-straight day lower. But losses were limited as handful of retailers and as bond yields receded from two-year highs.
(Read more: After-hours buzz: Analog Devices, Intuit, La-Z-Boy & more)
Investors also awaited further indications over the timing of the Federal Reserve's widely expected reduction in asset purchases.
(Read more: Watch Art Cashin:S&P at 'very critical area')
The Dow Jones Industrial Average turned lower in the final minutes of trading. The index closed down 7.75 points to end at 15,002.99, logging its fifth-straight losing streak. Home Depot led the blue-chip laggards.
The S&P 500 gained 6.29 points to end at 1,652.35. And the Nasdaq rose 24.50 points to finish at 3,613.59.
. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, finished below 15.
The Dow and S&P 500 are on pace for their worst month since May 2012.
Among key S&P sectors, consumer discretionary and financials led the gainers, while consumer staples finished slightly lower.
With no major economic news, investors have been focusing on when the Federal Reserve will start scaling back stimulus effort. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped near 2.83 percent after hitting a fresh two-year high of 2.90 percent on Monday.
"If you buy bond funds now, you're guaranteed to lose money whereas if you buy stocks, you still have a chance to make money," said Dan Veru, CIO of Palisade Capital Management. "We're going through this adjustment period of rates coming back up and that process can sometimes create headwinds for the market. And given we had no significant pullbacks for the market this year, we could be vulnerable to some setbacks."
Global markets took a hit from worries about reduced Fed stimulus. European markets were lower across the board.
In Asia, emerging market stocks extended their sharp losses. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite fell nearly 5 percent, placing it in bear market territory, having lost approximately 22 percent from May's all-time record high. And Thailand's benchmark SET Index dropped nearly 3 percent.
(Read more: First India, then Indonesia... who is next?)
Japan's Nikkei closed at a near two-month low and China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.6 percent.
"The market did an excellent job of ignoring the overseas market damage this morning," wrote Elliot Spar, market strategist at Stifel Nicolaus. "If the market can have strong close today, my upside target is the gap at 1,685 on the S&P. We really don't want to get there too fast. Many damaged sectors and names need time to repair themselves. A rally in the S&P back to the recent high at 1,709 that is accompanied by numerous negative divergences would not be healthy for the market."
Meanwhile, several retailers bucked the recent downbeat earnings trend. Best Buy surged to lead the S&P 500 gainers after the consumer electronics retailer easily topped Wall Street expectations.
Urban Outfitters soared after the specialty retailer posted earnings that beat expectations. At least four brokerages lifted their price targets on the company.
JCPenney posted sales that continued to fall sharply last quarter, but the troubled retailer said the back-to-school season has so far been "encouraging." The company also said sales trend had improved every month in the quarter. Shares traded higher.
And Dow component Home Depot posted second quarter earnings that topped expectations and raise its full-year guidance, citing the rebounding housing market.
(Read more: Cramer: Once hated,these retailers will go higher)
Analog Devices and Intuit are among notable companies scheduled to post earnings after the closing bell.
Apple dipped after S&P Capital IQ downgraded the iPhone maker to "buy" from "strong buy." S&P Capital IQ equity analyst Scott Kessler said the stock was nearing his target price of $550, and noted that it had already risen 30 percent off a low set on June 27.
Sony will release its PlayStation 4 console on November 15 in North America. The company said pre-orders for the new console has already exceeded one million.
Barclays declined after a U.S. appeals court said investors may revive a lawsuit that alleges the bank misled them about its subprime mortgage exposure.
—By CNBC's JeeYeon Park (Follow JeeYeon on Twitter: @JeeYeonParkCNBC)
What's Happening This Week:
WEDNESDAY: Mortgage applications, existing home sales, oil inventories, FOMC minutes, Office Depot annual meeting; Earnings from Target, JM Smucker, Lowe's, Staples, American Eagle, Toll Brothers, Hewlett-Packard, L Brands
THURSDAY: Jobless claims, PMI manufacturing index flash, FHFA home price index, leading indicators, natural gas inventories, Fed's Fisher speaks, Fed balance sheet/money supply, Walmart summit; Earnings from Dollar Tree, Gamestop, Gold Fields, Hormel Foods, Sears, Abercrombie & Fitch, Autodesk, Gap, Marvell, Ross Stores, Aeropostale, Pandora
FRIDAY: New home sales; Earnings from Ann, Foot Locker
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