NEW YORK - US stocks ended an up-and-down day mostly lower, as investors watched a Washington budget debate as the deadline for funding the government looms. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 66.79 (0.43 per cent) to 15,334.59 on Tuesday. The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 4.42 (0.26 per cent) to 1,697.42, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 2.97 (0.08 per cent) to 3,768.25. Investors are anxious amid a fierce bipartisan battle in Congress over funding the government for the fiscal year that begins on October 1. Failure to approve funding could force parts of the government to shut down. Economic data was mixed. The Conference Board reported consumer confidence fell in September, while the Case-Shiller report on US home prices showed prices rose in July, but at a slower pace. LONDON - European stock markets rebounded in the wake of mixed eurozone economic data, brushing off disappointing US consumer confidence. Indices had retreated on Monday despite encouraging manufacturing figures from China and the eurozone, as market attention focused on the US economy. London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.21 per cent to 6,571.46 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 added 0.34 to 8,664.6 points and the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.56 per cent to 4,195.61 points. The Ifo economic institute's closely watched German business climate index rose for the fifth month in a row in September, inching up to 107.7 points from 107.6 points in August. Business confidence in Germany is continuing to rise, albeit slowly, suggesting that the burgeoning recovery in Europe's biggest economy is on track even if it could prove sluggish. Spain has emerged from recession in the third quarter, with estimated economic growth of 0.1 to 0.2 per cent, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday. Madrid's IBEX 35 stocks index closed up 0.64 per cent. The dipped to $US1.3488 from $US1.3491 late in New York on Monday. HONG KONG - Asian markets slipped following losses on Wall Street, as attention turns to a brewing budget row in Washington that threatens to shut down parts of the US economy. The euro - which enjoyed a boost from Chancellor Angela Merkel's weekend election win in Germany - also retreated on Tuesday after the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) aired concerns about interest rates. Tokyo edged down 9.81 points to 14,732.61 on its first day of trading after a long weekend, with a slightly stronger yen weighing on exporters. Sydney eased 0.35 per cent, or 18.3 points, to 5,234.2 and Seoul lost 0.11 per cent, or 2.31 points, to close at 2,007.10. Shanghai slipped 0.61 per cent, or 13.51 points, to 2,207.53 while Hong Kong was down 0.82 per cent, or 192.50 points, at 23,179.04. WELLINGTON - The NZX 50 Index, which touched a record high last week, on Tuesday rose 9.213 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4710.587.