U.S. stocks close lower

NEW YORK, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 398.51 points, or 0.94 percent, to 41,954.24. The S&P 500 sank 55.13 points, or 0.96 percent, to 5,695.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 213.95 points, or 1.18 percent, to 17,923.9.

Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with utilities and communication services leading the laggards by dropping 2.32 percent and 1.97 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy bucked the trend by rising 0.35 percent.