US Stocks Struggle to Mixed Finish

Stocks struggled to a mixed finish on Wall Street after an early rally sputtered, the AP reports. Health care companies fell broadly, mostly offsetting gains in other parts of the market Thursday. Insurers UnitedHealth Group and Anthem led the decline in the health sector. Both lost a little over 4%. Banks and industrial companies held on to their early gains. JPMorgan Chase rose 0.8% and Boeing rose 1.4%. The S&P 500 index edged up less than 1 point to 2,888. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 14 points, or 0.1%, to 26,143. The Nasdaq fell 16 points, or 0.2%, to 7,947. More stocks rose than fell on the New York Stock Exchange. (More stock market stories.)