Stock indexes varied Tuesday 

Wall Street churned to a mixed finish Tuesday as Washington moves to avoid a default on its debt, according to the Associated Press.

The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged, rising 0.07 points or less than 1%, and hovering near its highest level since August at 4,205.52.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 50.56 points, or 0.2%, to 33,042.78.

The Nasdaq composite led the market with a 0.3% gain, rising 41.74 points to 13,017.43 as excitement built further about artificial intelligence.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 5.73 points, or 1%, to 1,767.29.

For the year, the S&P 500 is up 366.02 points, or 9.5%; the Dow is down 104.47 points, or 0.3%; the Nasdaq is up 2,550.94 points, or 24.4%; and the Russell 2000 is up 6.05 points, or 0.3%.