(Close): Wall Street lost all its early gains after a fresh terror alert in Hanover, Germany made traders wary.
The Dow Jones closed almost flat, up just 0.04% at 17,489.50, while the broader S&P 500 fell 0.1% to 2,054.53. The Nasdaq was also flat, up just 0.03%, to 4,986.02.
Late in trading, a football game between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled over fears of a bomb attack.
No explosives were found and no one was arrested, officials said later.
"These situations create uncertainty and in uncertain times everyone goes to cash," said Mohannad Aama, managing director at Beam Capital Management.
The best performing stocks were retailers, with both WalMart closing up 3.5% and Home Depot jumping 4.4% after posting better-than-expected profit figures.
But Urban Outfitters went in the other direction after the retailer's sales fell short of forecasts. Its shares closed 3.8% lower.
The S&P energy sector was down 0.8%, the worst performer of the 10 major S&P sectors, as crude prices slipped on concerns of a supply glut. Exxon and Chevron fell about 1%.
Data on Tuesday showed that US consumer prices rose 0.2% in October, in line with expectations, a sign that the drag on inflation from a strong dollar and lower oil prices was starting to ease.
The modest rise in inflation could bolster chances of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates next month.
