The stock market ended a sloppy, thin session on a down note yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrials losing a fight to extend a two-day rally that had repaired about a third of the damage suffered in a month-long slide from record highs.

The Dow fell 21.37 points - or 0.25% - to 8693.28, after bouncing between negative and positive territory all day. The broad market indexes were mixed.

The Dow had gained 290 points on Monday and Tuesday after sliding to 8,425 last week, a 900point drop from the record of 9337.97 set just four weeks earlier on July 17.

"There is still concern about what effect Asia's going to have on us and on earnings," said one stock trader. Investors also have their eyes on the economic problems in Russia - although that is a more serious problem for Germany than the United States - and on the dollar, which was lower today amid signs that Japan may be ready to intervene to support the yen.