US stocks finished mixed on Tuesday, as Nvidia reversed a recent decline to finish the day almost seven percent higher, pushing up the Nasdaq.

The Dow Jones closed down 0.8 percent at 39,112, while the S&P 500 closed 0.4 percent higher at 5,469.

The tech-rich Nasdaq was the top performing major index on Wall Street, closing up 1.3 percent at 17,717.

Investors also digested consumer confidence data published on Tuesday, which showed that consumers in the United States have become slightly less optimistic about the state of the world's largest economy.

The next major data release comes on Friday, when the Fed's favoured inflation gauge is published, with economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal expecting a slight decline in the annual rate at which prices are rising.

"Basically all eyes are on the inflation," said Spartan Capital Securities chief economist Peter Cardillo.

Among individual stocks, Nvidia surged 6.8 percent, reversing course after a disappointing run, while cruise ship companies Carnival and Norwegian rose by 8.7 percent and 5.1 percent respectively.

At the end of the table, the swimming pool supply company Pool Corp saw its share price fall by eight percent after slashing its guidance for the year. (AFP)