U.S. stocks close lower

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154.10 points, or 0.35 percent, to 44,247.83. The S&P 500 sank 17.94 points, or 0.30 percent, to 6,034.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 49.45 points, or 0.25 percent, to 19,687.24.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with real estate and technology leading the laggards by dropping 1.63 percent and 1.26 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and consumer staples led the gainers by going up 2.61 percent and 0.50 percent, respectively.