Markets End the Day Little Changed

Stocks ended pretty much where they started after a day of wavering between small gains and losses, the AP reports. Investors loaded up on safe-play stocks like phone companies Thursday and had some more disappointments from the retail sector. Kohl's slumped 9% after its results fell short of analysts' estimates. Agribusiness giant Monsanto jumped 9% on reports that German rival Bayer was considering a bid for the company, while Jack in the Box soared 14% after its results beat forecasts. Tech stocks fell. Apple lost another 2.4%. The Dow Jones industrial average edged up nine points, or 0.1%, to 17,720. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell a fraction to 2,064. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 23 points, or 0.5%, to 4,737. (More Dow Jones stories.)