Stocks meander as China, Ukraine worries weigh

3/12/2014

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks are little changed in midday trading as investors worry about slower growth in China and lingering tensions in Ukraine.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index edged down a point to 1,866 as of noon today. It was down as much as 13 points earlier.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell four points to 16,346. The Nasdaq composite rose eight points to 4,315.

Seven of the 10 industry sectors in the S&P 500 index fell.

Mining companies rose as metals prices increased. Cliffs Natural Resources rose 5 percent and Newmont Mining rose 2 percent.

European markets fell. France’s CAC-40 index lost 0.7 percent and Germany’s DAX index fell 0.8 percent.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.74 percent from 2.77 percent.