U.S. stocks close off day's lows; Wal-Mart's 3% decline pressures Dow

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks pared losses in the final hour of trading but finished lower Thursday, pressured by economic data following superstorm Sandy and the looming fiscal cliff
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 28.49 points, or 0.2%, at 12,542.46, and the S&P 500 Index fell 2.16 points, or 0.2%, to close at 1,353.33
The Nasdaq Composite Index  declined 9.87 points, or 0.4%, to close at 2,836.94.