The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Wall Street's stock indexes closed lower Tuesday, with the technology-heavy Nasdaq leading declines as chip stocks sold off on fears of weak demand while energy shares fell with oil prices. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that Toronto was also lower, but more modestly than in the United States. U.S. earnings reports were a mixed bag with mostly positive reactions to financial services results contrasting with a more than 8-per-cent slump in shares of UnitedHealth after the health insurer forecast 2025 profit below Wall Street estimates. Nasdaq came under particular pressure from market leader Nvidia, whose shares fell 4.6 per cent after a record-high close Monday and a media report that the Biden administration is considering capping artificial-intelligence chip exports by U.S. companies. The energy industry index was under pressure as crude prices fell 4.4 per cent on weaker demand expectations after a media report suggested Israel would not strike Iranian oil targets. The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed down 32.09 points at 24,439.08. The country's annual inflation rate slowed more than expected to 1.6 per cent in September, from 2 per cent in August.