U.S. stocks close lower

NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 333.59 points, or 0.77 percent, to 42,992.21. The S&P 500 sank 66.75 points, or 1.11 percent, to 5,970.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 298.33 points, or 1.49 percent, to 19,722.03.

All of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with consumer discretionary and technology leading the laggards by dropping 1.90 percent and 1.49 percent, respectively. Energy posted the weakest decline, down 0.01 percent.