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

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.