Stocks close lower for fifth day straight
ASSOCIATED PRESS July 11, 2012 9:10AM
FILE- In this Tuesday, July 10, 2012, file photo, traders prepare for the start of early trading at the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street was set to recover modestly Wednesday July 11, 2012 with Dow futures up 0.19 percent at 12,609 and S&P 500 futures also 0.19 percent higher at 1,338. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Updated: July 11, 2012 3:24PM
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones industrial average closed lower for the fifth straight day as worries about sluggish economic growth weighed on markets.
The Dow ended the day down 49 points at 12,605, after minutes from a Federal Reserve meeting highlighted concerns about the U.S. economy.
In a summary of their June meeting released Wednesday, Fed officials said the economy could struggle if Congress fails to avert tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled for the end of the year. Europe’s debt crisis and China also posed risks.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost a fraction of a point at 1,341. The Nasdaq lost 14 points to 2,888.
Rising stocks outpaced falling ones by a small margin on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was light at 3.3 billion.
