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markets, click/ or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

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Lilly up on launching higher-dose discounted Zepbound

vials

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Solventum ( SOLV ) rises after Thermo Fisher to buy unit for $4.1

bln

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S&P 500 at three-week low, Dow near one-month low

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Indexes down: Dow 0.18%, S&P 500 0.75%, Nasdaq 1.45%

(Updates for market open)

By Johann M Cherian and Sukriti Gupta

Feb 25 (Reuters) -

The tech-heavy Nasdaq led Wall Street declines on Tuesday,

hitting a six-week low after fresh economic data indicated a

deterioration in consumer sentiment and investors braced for the

potential impact of tighter U.S. trade curbs on Beijing.

A Conference Board report showed an index tracking

consumer confidence stood at 98.3 in February compared with an

estimate of 102.5, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Investors also focused on a

report that

said the U.S. was planning further restrictions on Nvidia's ( NVDA )

chip exports to China and that Washington was consulting with

allies about tightening chip controls on China.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) dropped 2.9%. Other semiconductor stocks

also fell, with the broader Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index

down 1.6%.

"I think for the (semiconductor) sector there's more

geopolitical risk and exposure, especially when you think about

China. That's one of the reasons that the sector has struggled

recently and is struggling year to date," said Kevin Gordon,

senior investment strategist at Charles Schwab.

Nvidia's ( NVDA ) results on Wednesday will be crucial for technology

companies, as investors have questioned the industry's hefty

artificial-intelligence spends after low-cost competition from

China's DeepSeek rattled markets in January. The S&P 500

technology sector is on track for its first quarterly

decline since July 2023, if losses hold.

Most megacap stocks traded lower, with Microsoft ( MSFT )

and Meta Platforms ( META ) down 0.8% and 1.8%,

respectively, while Tesla led losses with a 5.6%

decline.

A gauge tracking investor fear spiked to touch

its highest in nearly a month, last up 1.44 points at 20.42.

At 10:14 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average

fell 78.98 points, or 0.18%, to 43,382.23, the S&P 500

lost 45.07 points, or 0.75%, to 5,938.18, and the Nasdaq

Composite lost 277.57 points, or 1.45%, to 19,007.96.

Seven of the S&P 500's 11 sectors traded lower, with

technology stocks leading losses with a 1.4% decline.

Defensive sector consumer staples led gains

with a 1.4% rise.

Further tempering risk-taking, U.S. President Donald

Trump said late on Monday that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican

imports were "on time and on schedule" ahead of the March 4

deadline.

Along with the possible global impact of these levies,

investors are faced with signs the domestic economy is stalling

and that the U.S. Federal Reserve will likely be cautious about

cutting interest rates further.

Interest-rate futures currently point to a cut of 25 basis

points in July.

Policymaker Thomas Barkin and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision

Michael Barr are expected to speak through the day.

Crypto stocks fell, with Coinbase down 8.3% and

MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) down 10.5% tracking bitcoin

prices, which touched a more than three-month low.

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) rose 2.5% after the drugmaker said it

has

begun selling

higher doses of its weight-loss drug Zepbound in vials in

the U.S., at a discount to the injector-pen versions.

Solventum ( SOLV ) jumped 9.1% after drug manufacturer

Thermo Fisher said it will buy the company's

purification and filtration business for about $4.1 billion.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.19-to-1 ratio

on the NYSE, and declining issues outnumbered advancers by a

1.6-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 20 new 52-week highs and four new

lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 24 new highs and 154

new lows.