US open: Stocks mixed as earnings, stimulus and impeachment trial all in focus

Wall Street stocks were mixed after the opening bell on Tuesday amid more corporate earnings and Donald Trump's second impeachment trial.

As of 1530 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.23% at 31,312.91, while the S&P 500 was 0.07% weaker at 3,912.75 and the Nasdaq Composite started out the session 0.32% stronger at 14,032.95.

The Dow opened 72.85 points lower on Tuesday, cutting into gains recorded in the previous session.

Corporate earnings will again be in focus on Tuesday, with the likes of Twitter and Cisco both set to report their latest quarterly figures after the close.

Chemicals firm DuPont said sales in its electronics and imaging business had risen 9% to $1.02bn last quarter and pointed to a strong 2021 full-year performance on solid demand from smartphone makers and an automotive rebound, while Goodyear shares jumped early on in the session after the tire maker swung to a profit after topping sales estimates.

Also in focus, Trump's second impeachment trial was set to begin in the Senate on Tuesday, with the former head of state charged with having incited an "insurrection" after his supporters breached the US Capitol, the very same building in which the trial will take place, leading to the deaths of five people.

Turning to the coronavirus pandemic itself, the US has now recorded more than 27.7m cases of Covid-19, claiming the lives of more than 476,490 Americans in the process.

Democrats also unveiled the details of a Covid-19 relief package on Monday that included direct checks of $1,400 to Americans, with faster phase-outs than previous bills.

On the macro front, small business confidence in the US dipped at the start of the year with many company owners downbeat after Democrats won the presidential election and new Covid-19 cases surged, the results of a closely-followed survey revealed. The National Federation of Independent Business' confidence index slipped from a reading of 95.9 for December to 95.0 in January. Economists had forecast a reading of 97.0.

Still to come, December's JOLTS jobs report revealed openings had unexpectedly risen, led by increases in business services and retail trade - indicating that businesses were looking to adjust staffing levels as the US starts getting vaccinated against Covid-19. The Labor Department said the number of available positions increased to 6.65m during the month from a revised 6.57m in November, ahead of analyst estimates for a reading of 6.4m.

Still to come, Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis president James Bullard will deliver a speech at 1700 GMT.