NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A number of profit warnings dragged on the tech sector Tuesday afternoon, while higher oil prices and concerns about the ongoing Fed policy meeting kept the broader market spinning its wheels.

The Dow Jones industrial average (down 0.48 to 12,116.43, Charts) was little changed with roughly 2-1/4 hours left in the session, while the broader S&P 500 (down 2.60 to 1,374.42, Charts) index lost 0.2 percent.

The tech-fueled Nasdaq composite (down 15.00 to 2,340.56, Charts) slid 0.6 percent.

Company news continued to dominate Tuesday, with the earnings reporting in full swing. Among the highlights: Texas Instruments and Tellabs both disappointed with their forecasts, while DuPont and Amgen impressed with their results.

Federal Reserve policy-makers are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the economy and interest rates. Most economists expect the central bank to keep its key short-term rate unchanged at 5.25 percent, as it has for the last two meetings, after raising rates 17 times in a row.

But as usual investors will be more closely watching what the bankers hint at in their statement regarding the health of the economy, inflationary pressures and the future direction of interest-rate policy.

Wall Street has been sprinting lately, near the end of another solid month, as investors have responded to the drop in commodity prices, strong earnings and what appears to be the end of the Fed's more than two-year rate-hiking campaign. The Dow closed Monday at a record for the 10th time in the last 14 sessions.

After that rally, Tuesday's market performance was actually fairly impressive, said James Awad, chairman at Awad Asset Management, noting that the day's earnings warnings could have sparked a bigger selloff.

"On balance, the earnings picture is strong, the Fed is not expected to surprise us tomorrow and investors are going to try to keep moving the market higher through the end of the month," he said.

Texas Instruments (down $0.93 to $30.95, Charts) reported third-quarter revenue that missed Wall Street estimates and issued a disappointing outlook for its fourth-quarter, after the close Monday. Shares of the world's No. 1 cell phone chip maker slid nearly 3 percent Tuesday.

TI's results dragged on the broader chip sector, pulling the Philadelphia Semiconductor (down 3.17 to 446.38, Charts) index lower. But strength in leading chipmaker Intel (up $0.26 to $21.71, Charts) helped offset the weakness.

Tellabs (down $0.67 to $10.35, Charts) reported third-quarter earnings that topped estimates on revenue that missed estimates. The maker of gear for running telecom networks also issued a current-quarter revenue outlook that is short of estimates. Shares lost 6 percent in unusually active Nasdaq trade.

Fellow telecom gear maker Lucent Technologies (up $0.16 to $2.50, Charts) reported earnings that beat estimates, lifting its stock by 7 percent.

Chemical maker DuPont (up $0.65 to $46.10, Charts), a Dow 30 component, reported higher quarterly earnings that topped expectations, thanks to higher sales and lower fixed costs, although raw material costs surged. DuPont shares jumped about 1.4 percent.

Amgen (up $1.43 to $74.80, Charts) also rallied after reporting results late Monday that rose from a year ago and topped forecasts. Shares of the biotech climbed 2 percent.

The rise in oil prices gave a boost to oil services stocks, lifting the Amex Oil (up 7.77 to 1,129.62, Charts) index by 1 percent.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers narrowly edged winners as 1.03 billion shares changed hands. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers three to two as 1.18 billion shares traded.

Treasury prices inched higher, with the ten-year note yielding 4.82 percent, down from 4.83 percent Monday. Prices and yields move in opposite directions.

In currency trading, the dollar inched higher against the euro and the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for December delivery added 64 cents to $59.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for December delivery lost $5.90 to trade at $577 an ounce.

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