U.S. stocks finish lower as progress stalls in fiscal-cliff negotiations

NEW YORK (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday as Democrats and Republicans bickered in public over their difficulties in reaching a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff of spending cuts and tax hikes in the new year
President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are due to meet at the White House at 5 p.m. Eastern time to discuss the fiscal cliff
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 74.73 points, or 0.6%, to 13,170.72
The S&P 500 index  declined 9.03 points, or 0.6%, to 1,419.45, ending a six-session winning streak The Nasdaq Composite  dropped 21.65 points, or 0.7%, to end at 2,992.16.