US sharemarkets ended mixed on Tuesday as investors mulled another oil record and a poor earnings guidance from the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart.

At the close of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 44.13 points, or 0.34 percent, to 12,832.18, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 ended slightly down, losing just 0.54 points, or 0.04 percent, to 1,403.04.

The technology-based Nasdaq composite added 6.63 points, or 0.27 percent, to close the day up at 2,495.12.

Wal-Mart shares fell 2.3 percent on Tuesday after it issued its profit guidance for the second-quarter that is at or below current forecasts. Shares in Hewlett-Packard rose 2.8 percent after the computer maker's announcement that it is it is buying Electronic Data Systems for USD$13.9 billion.

The price of US light crude oil for June delivery briefly hit a record trading high of US$126.98 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange following reports that Iran is planning to cut oil production, before dropping to settle the day US$1.57 higher at US$125.80 per barrel.

Market breadth was positive, with winners even with losers on the New York Stock Exchange with 1.2 billion shares changing hands, while advancers were slightly ahead of decliners on the Nasdaq on a volume of 1.9 billion shares.

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