U.S. stocks softened on Tuesday, closing in negative territory as investors began the holiday-shortened week by taking profits in the wake of a sustained rally amid signs of weakening global demand.

Tesla Inc's aggressive price cuts have ignited demand for its electric vehicles, Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Wednesday, playing down concerns that a weak economy would throttle buyers' interest.

Pakistan's government said it was scrambling to restore power to millions of people on Monday after a breakdown in the grid triggered the worst electricity outage in months and highlighted the weak infrastructure of the heavily indebted nation.

Billionaire Elon Musk said he paid a visit to Twitter Inc's headquarters in San Francisco on Wednesday, ahead of a court-ordered deadline to close his $44 billion deal for the social media platform.