NEW YORK, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 225.09 points, or 0.50 percent, to 44,368.56. The S&P 500 sank 16.53 points, or 0.27 percent, to 6,051.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 6.09 points, or 0.03 percent, to 19,649.95.
Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with energy and real estate leading the laggards by dropping 2.69 percent and 0.91 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer staples and communication services led the gainers by going up 0.23 percent and 0.04 percent, respectively.
