U.S. stock market closed slightly lower on Tuesday as the country's housing decreased in February and investors took profit from last week's gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 68.94 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 13,170.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 was down 4.23 points, or 0.30 percent, to 1,405.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 4.17 points, or 0.14 percent, to 3,074.15.

Greece had successfully shunned debt default by receiving second round of bailout funds through international organizations. However, investors' concerns over the eurozone debt crisis still weighed on the market.

On the economic front, U.S. housing declined 1.1 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 698,000 units. However, building permits jumped to the highest level in more than three years, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

The mixed results of U.S. housing data suggested that recovery of the housing market was complex.

On the earnings front, the database-software company Oracle reported an 18 percent gain in profit on stronger software sales after Tuesday's closing. Oracle's stock rose more than 3 percent in the after-hour trading.

Apple clinched above 600 dollar a share on Tuesday, despite reports that the latest version of iPad has overheated.

The industrial and energy sectors declined the most among all the sectors as concerns over mineral demands weighed on stocks of raw material developers. BHP Billiton tumbled more than 3 percent after the world's largest miner saw signs of decreasing iron ore demand from China. Rio Tinto's share also declined 3.5 percent.

The financial sector was the biggest gainer as investment bank Jefferies reported strong fixed-income trading and underwriting revenue. The news helped boost other financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

In a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch survey taken earlier this month, a net 47 percent of global fund managers expect no further quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve, up from 36 percent in February. The change in expectations of monetary policy also pressured the market.

On other markets, oil prices settled below 106 dollars a barrel after Saudi Arabia said it would take measures to meet any shortfalls in global oil supplies. The dollar rose as the euro dipped due to debt concerns.