US benchmark equity indexes ended higher Tuesday, shrugging off trade concerns after China announced a series of retaliatory tariffs against the US.

* China will impose additional tariffs of 15% on coal and liquefied natural gas imports from the US and 10% higher duties on items including American crude oil and agricultural machinery, effective Feb. 10, CNBC reported, citing China's finance ministry.

Previously, the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on goods from both Canada and Mexico, along with a 10% levy on imports from China. However, Trump on Monday paused the announced tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month.

* US job openings fell to 7.6 million in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, lower than the 8 million openings expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and down from the 8.156 million openings reported in November. The December level represents 4.5% of employment, versus 4.9% in November and 5.3% a year ago.

The data painted a familiar picture of the labor market, with a low pace of layoffs keeping net job growth positive despite a slow pace of hiring, according to a note from Oxford Economics.

* March West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $0.57 to settle at $72.59 per barrel, while April Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.07 to $76.03 as China retaliated for a 10% tariff imposed on its imports into the United States, a day after Donald Trump's threats to impose levies on Canada and Mexico's exports to the country were postponed for 30 days.

* Palantir Technologies (PLTR) shares increased 24% in recent trading Tuesday, a day after the company reported higher Q4 adjusted earnings and revenue. Goldman Sachs adjusted Palantir's price target to $80 from $41.

* Estee Lauder (EL) reported a year-over-year drop in fiscal Q2 adjusted net earnings and sales. The company also issued its fiscal Q3 outlook for adjusted EPS below market expectations. In addition, the firm said it expects to eliminate 5,800 to 7,000 job roles as part of a restructuring plan. Shares of Estee Lauder plunged past 16%.