U.S. Stocks End Lower; Dow Ekes Out Gain

NEW YORK – The U.S. stock market finished Tuesday's choppy session slightly lower, as steep losses in energy shares weighed on the main benchmark. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a small gain. Sentiment was hit after EU's downgrade of domestic growth as well as a spike in the trade deficit, which implied U.S. GDP growth may be lower than expected. The S&P 500 closed 5.78 points, or 0.3%, lower at 2,012.03. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 17.21 points, or 0.1%, to 17,383.58. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day down 15.27 points, or 0.3%, at 4,623.64.

Copyright © 2014 MarketWatch, Inc.