February 25, 2014- Stocks Close Lower Showing Lack of Direction

Stocks showed a lack of direction throughout much of the trading day on Tuesday before ending the session modestly lower. The losses on the day partly offset the notable upward move that was seen in the previous session. The major averages moved roughly sideways going into the close, stuck just below the unchanged line. The Dow dipped 27.48 points or 0.2 percent to 16,179.66, the Nasdaq edged down 5.38 points or 0.1 percent to 4,287.59 and the S&P 500 slipped 2.49 points or 0.1 percent to 1,845.12. The lackluster performance seen for most of the session came as traders seemed reluctant to make any significant moves following yesterday's gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended Monday's trading at its best closing level in almost fourteen years, while the S&P 500 reached a record intraday high before pulling back going into the close. Traders may also have been looking ahead to the release of some key economic data later in the week, including reports on new home sales and durable goods orders.