Investors are digesting Trump's stiff tariffs on imports from more than a dozen countries and delayed the return of sweeping April levies.

The Nasdaq composite held up the best among the major indexes, but wavered and was up just 0.2% in recent trades. The S&P 500 also wavered and edged into positive ground after falling 0.8% Monday. Small caps outpaced the market, with the Russell 2000 index lifting 0.5% higher. The Russell ended a six-day winning streak Monday.

The S&P 500 has outpaced the Dow Jones Industrial Average despite President Trump's rejection of exceptions to the Aug. 1 date he set to launch his latest tariffs. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq has had a day in the green.