After failed attempts at a rebound, U.S. stocks ended Thursday’s choppy session lower, declining for the fourth consecutive session.
The benchmark S&P 500 turned negative for the year and recorded its longest losing streak since January.
The S&P 500 SPX, -0.24% ended 4.90 points, or 0.2% lower at 2,056.15 with eight of its 10 sectors closing in the red. Technology stocks which took a beating on Wednesday rebounded, but modest gains weren't enough to lift the markets.
The dollar lost ground against the yen Thursday, but traded higher against the euro after falling for most of the past week.
The dollar USDJPY, -0.02% was down at ¥119.20 from ¥119.50 late Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the euro EURUSD, +0.02% bought $1.0875, down from $1.0971 late Wednesday in New York, after gaining ground earlier Thursday against the dollar. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.05% which gauges the dollar’s strength against six other currencies, was flat at 97.4040.
In other Nymex-traded commodities, prices for petroleum products climbed, too. April gasoline RBJ5, -1.39% traded at $1.862 a gallon, up 2.6 cents, or 1.4%, while April heating oil added 4.1 cents, or 2.4%, to $1.769 a gallon.
April natural gas NGJ15, -0.60% turned lower to trade at $2.666 per million British thermal units, down 5.7 cents, or 2.1%. The EIA reported Thursday an increase of 12 billion cubic feet in last week’s natural-gas supplies. Analysts polled by Platts forecast a rise of 12 to 16 billion cubic feet.
