U.S. stocks close lower

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.44 points, or 0.53 percent, to 43,914.12. The S&P 500 sank 32.94 points, or 0.54 percent, to 6,051.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 132.05 points, or 0.66 percent, to 19,902.84.

Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with consumer discretionary and health leading the laggards by dropping 0.84 percent and 0.83 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer staples bucked the trend by rising 0.18 percent.