Major stock indexes closed narrowly mixed Tuesday but stocks were mostly weaker after an uninspiring batch of economic reports. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.2 percent and the Nasdaq firmed 0.2 percent. US Treasury yields, the dollar and oil prices all declined.

The long-delayed employment report showed slightly better than expected job gains in November while jobs fell more than expected in October. That combined with news of a larger than expected rise in unemployment. And retail sales also came in softer than expected. The economic reports added to the view that the economy is weakening headed into year end and pushed down bond yields. The decline in bond yields helped tech stocks rebound from the day's lows during the afternoon.

The Nasdaq got a lift from a rally in Tesla shares after a report it is testing autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas. On the downside, energy shares had a bad day as the market increasingly sees a Ukraine-Russia settlement that would allow Russia to return its oil to global oil markets.

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.