STOCKS pulled lower near the close of trade in New York today as investors tinkered with their portfolios before the year's end, securing some profits from last week's modest rally.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 11.54 points at 6,549.37, after holding a gain of about 20 points just 15 minutes before the close.
Broader market indexes also slid into the close, erasing gains that would have given some measures their first record highs in a month.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by more than a five to four margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,406 up, 1,106 down and 842 unchanged.
The Standard and Poor's 500 stock index fell 2.94 to 753.85, and the NYSE's composite index fell 0.68 to 397.42.
The Nasdaq composite index fell 3.62 to 1,287.76, while the American Stock Exchange's market value index rose 1.53 to 583.46.
