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Stocks churn in choppy session - Stocks struggled Tuesday, ending mixed, as investors mulled improved auto sales, surging commodity prices and Warren Buffett's buyout of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

The first day of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting and some bearish news in the financial sector were also in play.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 17 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 gained 2 points, or 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite rose 8 points, or 0.4%.

The Dow Jones Transportation average surged 5.3% after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it will buy railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

Gold surges to an all-time high - Gold prices surged to a record high Tuesday after the International Monetary Fund said it had sold 200 metric tons of the precious metal to India's central bank.

November gold rose $30.90 to settle at $1,084.90 an ounce, after climbing to a high of $1,085.20. The previous intraday record was set Oct. 13, when gold rose to $1,069.70 an ounce.