US stocks finished the day in the red on Tuesday, as traders looked to consolidate some of their gains since Donald Trump's victory in the November 5 US presidential election.

"We got a significant run," said Art Hogan from B Riley Wealth Management. "After a run like that in such a short period of time, it's not surprising for markets to take a breather."

The Dow Jones fell 0.9 percent to 43,910, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.3 percent to 5,983.

The Nasdaq rounded out the fall among major indices on Wall Street, closing down 0.1 percent at 19,281.

Among individual stocks, Tesla fell 6.1 percent as traders looked to make the most of a recent surge in the electric vehicle-maker's share price after Trump's victory, which was strongly supported by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.

The biotech firm Amgen also shed value on Tuesday after an analyst published a research note raising questions about an experimental anti-obesity drug.

As well as digesting last week's election result, and what it means for the markets, traders are also looking ahead to a number of data releases this week, including fresh consumer inflation data to be published on Wednesday. (AFP)