U.S. stocks closed with mixed results on Tuesday, with strength in semiconductor and selected technology shares standing out against modest declines in most major indices.The Nasdaq 100 was the exception, gaining 0.21%. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.09%, while the S&P 500 declined 0.17%. The Dow fell 132 points, and the Russell 2000 was the weakest of the five indices, losing 0.35%.The closing changes were relatively small, but some individual stock moves were anything but. Applied Materials, Marvell, KLA, Arm and ASML posted solid gains. Meta also advanced more than 3%. Buyers were active in those names, even as the broader indices struggled to move higher.U.S. stock closing levelsDow Industrial Average: down 132.03 points (-0.26%) to 51,355.13.S&P 500: down 12.85 points (-0.17%) to 7,670.85.Nasdaq Composite: down 22.84 points (-0.09%) to 26,797.54.Russell 2000: down 9.99 points (-0.35%) to 2,807.92.Nasdaq 100: up 62.52 points (+0.21%) to 30,339.33.Chip and technology shares stand outSemiconductor equipment makers and chip designers featured prominently among the day’s gainers:Applied Materials: +5.19% to $512.01.Marvell Technology: +4.51% to $263.27.KLA: +3.89% to $196.53.Arm Holdings: +3.65% to $293.67.ASML: +3.56% to $1,834.39.Lam Research: +2.99% to $323.86.Elsewhere, Lumentum gained 5.66% to $973.49, while Coherent rose 3.46% to $292.21. Meta advanced 3.26% to $738.96.Bloom Energy also stood out, rising $28.38 to $291.25.Those gains substantially outpaced the broader indices. However, strength in a group of technology names did not translate into gains for both Nasdaq benchmarks. The Nasdaq 100 finished higher, while the broader Nasdaq Composite ended slightly lower.That distinction matters. There were pockets of aggressive buying, but the major-index results did not signal a broad move higher.Technically SpeakingThe S&P index is closing between the 100 and 200 hour MAs (7.667.20 and 7676.00 respectively) in what is neutral territory. Tomorrow could be a deciding day after ups and downs today For the Nasdaq index, it too is in a neutral swing area between 26,676 and 26,856 (closing at 26,797.54). Trading lesson: Look beyond the headline indexFor newer traders, today is a useful reminder that an index’s performance and an individual stock’s performance can tell different stories.The Nasdaq Composite finished lower, yet several chip and technology shares gained between 3% and 6%. An index combines the performance of many companies, with different weights. Strong gains in selected stocks can be offset by weakness elsewhere.The practical takeaway is to check both the broader market and the stock you are trading. Relative strength helps identify where buyers are making a play. The stock’s own technical levels then help define the bias and risk.As I explain in my book Attacking Currency Trends, identifying an opportunity is only part of the job. You also need to know what price action would tell you that your trading idea is no longer working. This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.