U.S. stock indexes began Tuesday on a down note, with major indexes all posting negative numbers.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 9.68 points, 0.12 percent, to 8,322.00 in early morning trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 was down 1.05 points, 0.12 percent, at 900, while the Nasdaq was off 2.27 points, 0.13 percent, at 1,790.04.

The downturn came even after financial giant Goldman Sachs surpassed its most optimistic second-quarter estimate, posting income of $3.44 billion, or $4.93 a share, up from $2.09 billion and $4.58 a share last year, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The latest results included a $426 million dividend associated with the company's paying back its of its TARP funds, the earnings report indicated. Excluding the TARP repayment, earnings were $5.71 a share, eclipsing estimates by more than $2 per share, the Journal said.

Bonds dropped in value, with yields on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes rising to 3.426 percent.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Average ended trading up 2.3 percent, snapping a nine-session losing streak.

London's FTSE added 0.8 percent when it closed.

In international currency trading, the dollar was at 1.3980 against the euro Tuesday, compared to 1.3996 the previous day. Against the yen, the dollar was at 93.08, compared to 92.93 the Monday.