Stocks Retreat From Records To End Modestly Lower

U.S. stocks briefly touched intraday records Monday, but succumbed to selling pressure to end lower as Wall Street caught its breath following Friday's record-setting rally fueled by a solid employment report. The Nasdaq Composite Index, S&P 500 index and Russel 1000 hit intraday records before pulling back. A sharp rise in crude-oil prices boosted energy companies' shares but didn't translate into sustained gains for the broader stock market, as health-care shares sold off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14 points, or less than 0.1%, to close at 18,529, the S&P 500 index finished down about 2 points, or 0.1%, at 2,180, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gave up roughly 8 points, or 0.2%, to end at 5,213. Exxon Mobil Corp. enjoyed a 1% climb as crude futures settled higher, while elsewhere in companies news, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would buy start-up Jet.com.