U.S. stocks end near flat; S&P 500 barely up
Claims should have been 30,000 higher, says equity strategist
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock indexes closed largely unchanged on Thursday, with the S&P 500 index just managing to halt a losing streak, as cheer about a decline in jobless claims dissipated.
“I don’t get too worked up over the weekly data, the trend is much more important, and I think we are seeing incremental improvement,” said Tim Leach, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
Uncertainty ahead of the U.S. presidential election less than a month away is a likely contributor to Wall Street’s stall.
Once “the results are in, then everybody can make plans accordingly. That clarity of at least that portion of the road ahead will be reacted to positively,” regardless who wins, Leach said. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-op...2012-10-11