Wall Street ended down Thursday as fiscal cliff
negotiations in Washington remain at the top of traders' minds, even
as the possibility of a deal trimmed losses late in trading.
Word that US lawmakers in the lower House of Representatives will
return to Washington Sunday in a last-minute bid to avert the fiscal
cliff of steep austerity measures pushed stocks back up late in the
day. Shares earlier had been driven lower as top Democrat in the US
Senate, Harry Reid, predicted that no deal would be reached before
year's end.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day down
18.28 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 13,096.3. The broader Standard &
Poor's 500 Index fell 1.74 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 1,418.09. The
technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index slid 4.25 points, or 0.14 per
cent, to 2,985.91.
The US currency dipped to 75.55 euro cents from 75.6 euro cents on
Wednesday. The dollar rose against the Japanese currency to 86.1 yen
from 85.51 yen.
