U.S. stocks closed mixed on Tuesday as investors shifted into defensive stocks driving up shares of drugmakers like Pfizer Inc.,Coca-Cola while energy stocks gained as oil hit a six-month high.Investors showed caution after the recent rally and ongoing worries about banks and autos.Markets were down through the early afternoon on Tuesday, but managed pare some losses in the last hour of trading.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average up 50.34 points, up 0.6 percent, to 8469.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 0.89 points, down 0.1 percent, to 908.35. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 15.32 points,down 0.88 percent, to 1715.92.

Pfizer was the biggest percentage gain, gaining 5.5 percent to $14.93 while Merck gained by 2.4 percent.Coca-Cola shares gained 4 percent.Energy Shares closed higher as crude futures settled slightly higher. Exxon Mobil Corp gained 2.2 percent to $70.82.Chevron also closed higher.After the close, Applied Materials reported results that were better than expected.Shares were down 2 percent in after-hours trading.

Bank stocks were down.Bank of America Corp. was down 6 percent.Citigroup lost 5.2 percent.Bank of New York Mellon was down about 3.5% after its share sale.Auto stocks also closed lower,General Motors was down 23% at $1.11,lowest since April 1933.Ford Motor Co. was down 11 percent.On the Nasdaq, tech stocks aso declined.Apple lost 3.9 percent.On Wednesday, April retail sales are due before the open from the Commerce Department.

FTSE 100 index ended down 0.22 percent down 9.96 points to 4,425.54,Germany's DAX closed down 0.26 percent down 12.80 points to 4,854.11,France's CAC 40 down 0.54 percent down 17.57 points to 3,231.10.

Dollar fell versus the euro and the yen.Crude oil for June delivery rose 35 cents to settle at $58.85 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Gold for June delivery rose $10.40 to settle at $923.90 an ounce.
Tuesday,12 May 2009