Stocks opened mixed on Wall Street, with the Standard & Poor's 500 holding at 1,500.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 3 points to 13,855. The Nasdaq composite fell 7 points to 3,146.

Markets are absorbing data from several fronts Tuesday.

Ford blew by Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter, but its losses in Europe continue to mount. Its stock declined 3.4 percent to $13.31.

U.S. home prices accelerated in November compared with a year ago, pushed higher by rising sales and a tighter supply of available homes, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index.

Investors will be looking for a report on January consumer confidence and hints from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which opens a two-day policy meeting.