U.S. stocks close mixed

NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 280.83 points, or 0.87 percent, to 31,874.57. The S&P 500 sank 27.36 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,891.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 5.9 points, or 0.05 percent, to 11,434.05.