NEW YORK: Wall Street’s third down day in a row sent stocks to their lowest levels in a month. Until this month, stocks had risen for eight weeks straight. But stocks posted their biggest declines in five weeks on Wednesday, and dropped further on Thursday. Now they’re on the verge of their second weekly loss in a row.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 104.10 points, or 0.7 percent, at 15,739.43. The S&P 500 fell 6.72 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,775.50. The Nasdaq composite dropped 5.41 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,998.40.
In economic news, the number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose to about where it was before the Great Recession.
Also, U.S. shoppers spent more money on appliances, furniture and cars in November.
