Stocks Close Lower Ahead of Holiday

US stocks closed lower Tuesday following a swift sell-off in the final minutes of a shortened trading session ahead of the Independence Day holiday, the AP reports. The losses snapped a three-day winning streak for the stock market, wiping out modest gains from earlier in the day. Technology companies and banks led the market slide, outweighing gains in health care and energy stocks. Gainers slightly outnumbered fallers on the New York Stock Exchange, with small-company stocks faring better than the overall market. Trading volume was lighter than usual going into Wednesday's US market holiday. The S&P 500 index fell 13.49 points, or 0.5%, to 2,713.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 132.36 points, or 0.5%, to 24,174.82. The Nasdaq lost 65.01 points, or 0.9%, to 7,502.67. Smaller-company stocks bucked the broader market decline. The Russell 2000 index picked up 5.33 points, or 0.3%, to 1,660.42. (More stock market stories.)