Stocks gain after morning slump

After swinging between losses and gains Tuesday, stocks closed with gains, barely. The price of oil jumped as traders worried that Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter plane could lead to worsening tensions in the Middle East.

At the close on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 19.5 points, about 0.1 percent, to 17,812.2. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 2.6 points, about 0.1 percent, to 2,091.2. The Nasdaq composite added less than a point to 5,102.8.

ENERGIZED: The price of U.S. benchmark crude oil jumped 3 percent in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange as traders worried that Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter plane could lead to worsening tensions over Syria. As the markets closed, the price of U.S. crude was up 92 cents at $42.89 a barrel.

INSTABILITY: Turkey said a Russian warplane it shot down had violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings. Russia denied the plane crossed Syria's border into Turkey. NATO, of which Turkey is a member, will hold an emergency meeting later.

STAYCATIONS: Travel stocks took a beating. The State Department sent an alert warning Americans about risks while they travel abroad. It's the first such warning in more than a year, and will stay in effect for three months. The consumer confidence and oil data are also concerning for companies in travel.

An increase in oil prices would leave people with less money to spend on travel and reduced consumer confidence might mean people won't feel comfortable spending money on big vacations. It would also reduce profits for travel providers.

Travel booking sites, airlines and cruise lines all sank on the news.

WORRIED CONSUMERS: Consumer confidence plunged in November as Americans became more worried about the state of the job market. The Conference Board says its confidence index fell to 90.4, a big drop from October and far lower than analysts expected. That came despite a big rebound in hiring in October, which suggested the economy will keep growing.