Stocks ended mixed to slightly better Tuesday with support from lower bond yields and reports of stepped-up corporate stock buybacks. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 both firmed 0.1 percent while the Nasdaq eased 0.1 percent. Bond yields, oil prices, and the dollar all declined.

Equities ticked slightly higher for a third consecutive day to add to their advance starting after Friday's weaker than expected jobs report. The major indexes rose more than 1 percent on Monday and market rates continued lower on hopes that disinflation will resume. A well-received US Treasury 3-year note sale added to the better mood in fixed-income markets, which has been key to the equity market's latest gains.

On the negative side were comments from Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari raising concern over the economy's resilience in the face of higher rates. Kashkari said policy may not be as restrictive as the Fed and markets believed, which implied that rates might need to move up to get inflation down.

Among sectors, best were trucking, food, real estate investment trusts, utilities, insurance, chemicals, telecom, discount retail and paper/packaging. Weakest were media, restaurant chains, travel & tourism, airlines, credit cards and cosmetics.

Market Reflections track market reaction to the trading day's major events. Economic data, policymaker speeches, and company news are featured in this report as well as key indexes and financial instruments.

Understanding why markets respond as they do is fundamental for an investor. Market Reflections help explain how the day's events, news, and data impact the outlook for the economy and for market prices.