US equity indexes were mixed with government bond yields, while gold dropped with crude oil after midday Tuesday.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3% to 22,486.1, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1% to 6,829.2, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 49,475.5.

Energy, consumer staples, materials, and communication services led the decliners intraday. Financials, industrials, and real estate were among the gainers.

In company news, Elliott Investment Management plans to engage with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), as a top investor with a stake of more than 10%, to address the cruise operator's underperformance, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Shares of the cruise liner jumped 10% intraday, the top gainer on the S&P 500.

Genuine Parts (GPC) shares slumped 13%, the worst performer on the S&P 500, after the company reported lower Q4 adjusted earnings and announced a plan to separate its automotive and industrial parts groups into two independent, publicly traded entities.

Mizuho Securities adjusted its price target for CrowdStrike (CRWD) to $490 from $540 while maintaining its neutral rating for the stock. CrowdStrike shares were trading down 5.1%, the steepest decline in the Nasdaq.

In economic news, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index fell to 36 in February from 37 in January, below expectations of 38 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

Meanwhile, the New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index slid to 7.1 in February from 7.7 in January, compared with the minus 6.2 forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.

US Treasury yields were mixed, with the two-year up 2.2 basis points to 3.43% while the 10-year stood little changed at 4.05%.

In the energy market, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 1.2% to $62.14 a barrel.

In precious metals, gold futures fell 3.2% to $4,886.10 per troy ounce, and silver futures slumped 6.5% to $72.90 per troy ounce.