Dow Ends Day Down 54

Bank stocks are pulling market indexes mostly lower on Wall Street as a weeklong surge in the financial sector peters out, the AP reports. The dollar continued to appreciate against other currencies Wednesday and has reached its highest mark in 13 years. The price of oil fell after a big rise the day before. Earnings from big retailers were also in focus. Home improvement retailer Lowe's sank 3% after saying its earnings were held back by weak traffic in its stores. Target jumped 6% after reporting strong sales. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 54 points, or 0.3%, to 18,868. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 3 points, or 0.2%, to 2,176. The Nasdaq composite edged up 18 points, or 0.4%, to 5,294. (More Dow Jones stories.)