US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Tuesday as President Donald Trump announced plans to double the trade tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.

* Trump plans to double tariffs to 50% on all steel and aluminum imports from Canada, starting Wednesday, in response to Ontario Premier Doug Ford's decision Monday to impose a 25% surcharge on all electricity Ontario ships to the US. However, Ford suspended the surcharge Tuesday.

* The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Monday that job openings rose to 7.740 million in January. The print beat the 7.6 million expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey and was above the 7.508 million reported in December.

* April West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.44 to settle at $66.47 per barrel, while May Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.54 to $69.81 on bargain hunting, as markets turned broadly lower a day earlier on fears the US may be headed towards a recession.

* Southwest Airlines (LUV) Chief Executive Bob Jordan said the company is ending its policy of hedging against swings in fuel prices, which will help eliminate premium payments. Shares jumped 8.4%.

* Verizon Communications (VZ) subscriber growth will likely be "soft" in Q1, Chief Revenue Officer Frank Boulben said. Shares slumped 6.2%.