U.S. stocks close lower in choppy session

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks closed lower on Monday in choppy trade as worries over emerging-markets currencies unsettled investors. Upbeat earnings and forecast from Caterpillar Inc. helped lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average earlier in the session, but the index reversed the gains by the end of the day. The blue-chips index added to steep losses from last week, closing 41.23 points, or 0.3%, lower at 15,837.75, its fifth straight session of losses. The S 500 finished the day 8.73 points, or 0.5%, lower at 1,781.56, after briefly venturing into positive territory. The benchmark index is 3.6% below its record peak reached on Jan 15. The Nasdaq Composite briefly fell through its 50-day moving average, but recouped some of the losses. The tech-heavy index lost 44.56 points, or 1.1%, to 4,083.61. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.