US equity indexes were higher on Tuesday as government bond yields fell amid the growing likelihood that Republicans and Democrats may not reach a deal to prevent a government shutdown.

* US job openings rose to 7.227 million in August, beating expectations of 7.2 million and edging past July's 7.208 million. The openings rate held at 4.3%, down from 4.6% a year earlier, while the hiring rate slipped to 3.2% from 3.3% in July and from 3.3% a year earlier.

* The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 94.2 in September, its weakest reading since April 2025 and below expectations, while the Institute for Supply Management's Chicago Purchasing Managers Index dropped to 40.6 from 41.5 in August, also below the 43.3 forecast in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

* November West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.94 to settle at $62.51 per barrel, while November Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.91 to $67.06.

* Pfizer (PFE) shares rose about 6.8%, leading the S&P 500, after an agreement with the Trump administration to lower prescription drug prices, while committing an additional $70 billion investment in the US over the coming years.

* Ambac Financial (AMBC) shares sank nearly 14% after the company said late Monday it completed a $420 million cash sale of its legacy financial guarantee businesses, Ambac Assurance and Ambac Assurance UK, to funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management.