Intel Drags Down Tech Stocks

Updated from 4:18 p.m. EST

The market has been fickle for months, and that was the case again Wednesday before Wall Street's major averages finally ended lower, with technology shares bearing the brunt of the selling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 34.95 points, or 0.28%, at 12,466.16, and the S&P 500 lost 7.75 points, or 0.56%, at 1373.20. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was the weakest of the three, down 23 points, or 0.95%, to 2394.59.

Stocks visited both positive and negative territory, even in the final hour, as traders contemplated a host of news from the financial sector and another round of economic data, including the beige book from the Federal Reserve. ...