U.S. Stocks Finish Little-changed, Snap 5-week Winning Streak

U.S. stocks ended flat Thursday, trimming a steep drop from earlier in the day as a slump in crude-oil prices subsided. But shares still managed to snap a five-week winning streak. The S&P 500 shed 0.7 point, or less than 0.1%, to 2,036.01, while the Dow industrials gained 13.69 points, or 0.1%, to 17,516.28. The Nasdaq Composite gained 4.64 points, or 0.1%, to 4,773.50. Financial shares were the worst performers on the S&P as investors worried low oil prices might force a wave of loan defaults by energy companies. On the Dow, the worst performers were Nike Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. .