Stocks made mixed moves on Tuesday. Microsoft, Caterpillar, and JPMorgan Chase posted gains on the Dow. The S&P 500 also closed marginally in green territory. The Nasdaq shed some points, led lower by Apple. Trading was mixed in the wake of various economic data. Retail sales increased in December. The Census Bureau said sales climbed 0.5% last month following an upwardly revised 0.4% jump in November. Economists expected a rise of 0.2% in December. Discounting cars, retail sales increased 0.3% last month, after declining by a downwardly revised 0.1% in November. Economists had anticipated a 0.2% upswing. Meanwhile, producer prices took a breather in December. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that producer prices slipped 0.2% after being down 0.8% in November. The core PPI, which excludes food and energy, edged up by 0.1% in both December and November. Expectations were for a lesser 0.1% decline in the headline figure and a 0.1% uptick for the core reading. Elsewhere, crude oil futures dipped by 86 cents today to settle at $93.28 a barrel.