Dow closes May little changed | Stocks slide Tuesday | Quantitative easing on the horizon

Investors closed out a rocky month that saw the S&P 500 flirt with bear-market territory amid inflation and recession fears.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, MAY 31, 2022 EVENING BRIEF AS OF TUE, MAY 31, 2022 • 04:53 ET DJIA 32990.12 -0.67% -222.84 S&P 500 4132.15 -0.63% -26.09 NASDAQ 12081.39 -0.41% -49.74 Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 148.84 -0.80 -0.53% CSCO 45.05 -0.57 -1.25% KO 63.38 -1.30 -2.01% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 101.86 -0.40 -0.39% AAPL 148.84 -0.80 -0.53% F 13.68 +0.05 +0.37% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 101.86 -0.40 -0.39% AAPL 148.84 -0.80 -0.53% NVDA 186.72 -1.39 -0.74% EDITOR'S NOTE After a month in which the S&P 500 briefly touched bear-market territory and the Dow Jones Industrial Average snapped its longest weekly losing streak since 1923, the two stock averages finished May just about where they started.   U.S. stocks fell Tuesday to wrap up a tumultuous month of trading. The Dow finished 0.04% higher in May, and the S&P 500 was up 0.01%. The Nasdaq Composite lost around 2%.   "People are taking this downturn pretty seriously. They certainly pulled in their horns in terms of speculation," Jack Ablin, Cresset Capital founding partner and chief investment officer, said. Investors waded through a flurry of financial crosscurrents in the past month, including the Federal Reserve's rate-hiking cycle, persistent inflation, disappointing corporate earnings reports, the war in Ukraine and Covid outbreaks in China.   On Wednesday, quantitative easing is slated to begin, as the Fed trims its balance sheet in another effort to address inflation. Hannah Miao | CNBC Associate Markets Reporter @HannahMiao_ Watch our live stream for all you need to know to invest smarter. TOP NEWS  Dow drops 200 points, finishes month little changed in turbulent May Ukraine applauds EU ban on most Russian oil imports; fighting rages in strategic Donbas city Home prices surged over 20% in March as interest rates also rose, according to S&P Case-Shiller House Democrats look to pass gun control legislation by early June June swoon is more likely than not for stock market Euro zone inflation hits yet another record high as food and energy prices soar Apple's new iPhone and iPad software will reportedly add lots of big changes Beaten-down software names such as Microsoft are attractive buys now, Goldman Sachs says Credit Suisse analysts believe better days are ahead for these cheap growth stocks Unilever names activist investor Nelson Peltz to board TOP VIDEO Biden meets with Fed Chair Powell to discuss inflation CNBC PRO Beware of these dollar-vulnerable stocks if they're in your portfolio SPECIAL REPORTS 25% of Americans are delaying retirement due to inflation, survey finds Feeling behind on retirement savings? These tips can help you make up for lost time Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS