US stocks erased most of their early declines, but finished the day mostly lower as a renewal of economic and political concerns in Italy kept major US equity benchmarks off their all-time highs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average pulled back 33.49 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 14526.16, after falling as many as 120 points in the opening minutes of trading. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index edged down 0.92 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 1562.85, while the Nasdaq Composite inched up 4.04 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 3256.52.
The day's reversal, which saw the S&P500 turn briefly positive for the day in late trading, was a continuation of a recent trend that has seen stocks strengthen throughout the trading session. To some investors, that is a sign that US equities remain attractive to investors around the globe, given the US economy's relative strength and investors' hunt search for global safe havens amid Europe's continued turmoil.
