U.S. stocks close mixed

NEW YORK, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 76.47 points, or 0.17 percent, to 44,705.53. The S&P 500 added 2.73 points, or 0.05 percent, to 6,049.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 76.96 points, or 0.40 percent, to 19,480.91.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with utilities and financials leading the laggards by dropping 0.88 percent and 0.75 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and technology led the gainers by going up 1.12 percent and 0.56 percent, respectively.