NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed Tuesday, with the Nasdaq Composite Index closing at a record high for four consecutive sessions, as investors awaited the start of earnings season.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 31.85 points, or 0.16 percent, to 19,855.53. The S&P 500 was unchanged at 2,268.90. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 20.00 points, or 0.36 percent, to 5,551.82.

The fourth quarter earnings season will kick off later this week, when several financial giants report their numbers.

Traders closely followed curves of the financial sectors, which has posted a sharp rally since the U.S. Presidential Election Day.

The latest data from Thomson Reuters showed that the S&P 500 companies' blended earnings in the fourth quarter of 2016 are expected to rise 5.8 percent year on year, while the revenues are forecast to increase 4.4 percent.

On the economic front, the number of job openings was little changed at 5.5 million on the last business day of November, the U.S. Labor Department reported Tuesday.

Meanwhile, investors also awaited a news conference by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Overseas, European equities rallied Tuesday. German benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange increased 0.17 percent, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index added 0.52 percent.

In Asia, Tokyo shares declined Tuesday on a stronger yen, with the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average going down 0.79 percent to 19,301.44 points.