U.S. stocks open mostly lower as investors digest fresh economic data on home prices, trade deficit

U.S. stocks opened mostly lower Tuesday, as investors digested fresh economic data on the trade deficit and home prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+0.18%
was up less than 0.1% soon after the opening bell, while the S&P 500
SPX,
-0.15%
fell 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
-0.62%
shed 0.2%, according to FactSet data, at last check. The U.S. trade deficit in goods rose slightly in February while inventories rebounded, according to a Census Bureau report Tuesday, potentially adding strength to gross domestic product in the first quarter. In other U.S. economic data released Tuesday, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city house price index fell in January. Later this morning, Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr, who is vice chair for supervision, will testify on banks before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs at 10 a.m. Eastern time.