Industrial and materials companies led U.S. stocks modestly lower Wednesday on another day of subdued trading ahead of the long Easter holiday weekend.
The slide marked the second decline in a row for the stock market, extending its losses for the month.
Energy stocks also fell as oil prices snapped a six-day winning streak. Utilities, phone companies and other high-dividend stocks were among the biggest gainers. Bond prices rose, sending yields lower.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index slid 8.85 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,344.93. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 59.44 points, or 0.3 percent, to 20,591.86. The Nasdaq composite index lost 30.61 points, or 0.5 percent, to 5,836.16.
Small-company stocks did far worse than the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 index gave up 17.75 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,359.20.
Twice as many stocks fell as rose on the New York Stock Exchange, while trading in declining stocks was 2.5 times as heavy as that of stocks that closed higher.