U.S. stocks lower on below-average volume day

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks closed with a slight loss Monday on very light trading, as energy and consumer-discretionary stocks dragged on the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI JIA) declined 21.73 points, or 0.2%, to close at 13,971.24. The S&P 500 Index (SNC:SPX) fell 0.92 point, or less than 0.1%, to 1,517.01; and the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ:COMP) declined 1.87 points, or less than 0.1%, to 3,192.00. Volume was well below average with NYSE composite volume topping 2.5 billion shares and Nasdaq composite volume topping 1.5 billion shares. February’s average daily composite volume is 3.52 billion shares for NYSE-listed stocks and 1.98 billion shares for Nasdaq-listed stocks.