Major Averages Close Slightly Lower

Updated from 3:18 p.m. EDT

Stocks closed slightly lower Tuesday as a U.S.-led military coalition struck targets in Afghanistan for the third straight day.

Preliminary closing numbers showed the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a loss of 21.73 points, or 0.2%, at 9046.21, while the Nasdaq was off 35.22 points, or 2.2%, at 1570.73. The S&P 500 lost 5.51 points, or 0.5%, to 1056.93.

In London, the FTSE 100 lost 23 points, or 0.5%, to 5010, while Germany's DAX was down 19 points, or 0.4%, at 4477. Japan's Nikkei index fell 1.9% to 10,012. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 391, or 3.9%, to 10,359. ...