U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday after disappointing outlooks from Caterpillar and Microsoft raised worries about future profit growth at companies.

An unexpected drop in U.S. orders of long-lasting goods also weighed on the markets.

On Tuesday:

The Dow dropped 291.49 points, or 1.7 percent, to 17,387.21.

The S&P 500 index lost 27.53 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,029.55.

The Nasdaq composite dropped 90.27 points, or 1.9 percent, to 4,681.50.

For the week:

The Dow is down 285.39 points, or 1.6 percent.

The S&P 500 index is down 22.27 points, or 1.1 percent.

The Nasdaq is down 76.38 points, or 1.6 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is down 435.86 points, or 2.5 percent.

The S&P 500 index is down 29.35 points, or 1.4 percent.

The Nasdaq is down 54.56 points, or 1.1 percent.