The Dow Falls 26 Points, Nasdaq Ends Flat

The Dow fell 26.50 points to close at 13,612.98, the Nasdaq fell 0.11 points to close at 2,626.60, and the S&P 500 falls 1.86 points to close at 1,531.05. Oil climbed $1.09 to close at $69.9.

Volume was modest with 2.56 billion shares trading on the NYSE and 1.8 billion trading on the Nasdaq. Decliners topped Advancers by a margin of 17:16 on the NYSE and 16:14 on the Nasdaq.

In individual stories, Harvest Natural Resources (NYSE: HNR) jumped 37.5% after announcing the Venezuelan National Assembly has approved the formation of mixed company Petrodelta, S.A. and the direct award of three additional fields to Petrodelta. Encysive Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENCY) fell 43.4% after receiving its third approvable letter from the FDA for THELIN, which is under review for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In this third approvable letter, the FDA stated that Encysive\'s development program for THELIN did not demonstrate the evidence of effectiveness needed for approval.

Tomorrow, traders will be looking for economic data on U.S. Housing Starts and Building Permits (8:30AM EST). Earnings scheduled before the bell include Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) and Carnival (NYSE: CCL).

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