Stocks end an indecisive day lower, leaving the S&P 500 with its third monthly loss of 2014
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. stocks are ending slightly lower, leaving the Standard & Poor's 500 index in the red for September.
It was only the third monthly loss for the benchmark index this year.
After a day of slight ups and downs, the S&P 500 fell five points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 1,972 on Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Dow Jones industrial average lost 28 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,042.
The Nasdaq composite fell 12 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,493.
The S&P 500 fell 1.6 percent in September, but is still up 6.7 percent for the year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EBay rose 8 percent after the company said it would spin off the mobile payment service PayPal.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.50 percent.