Markets End Day Lower

Major US stock indexes ended slightly lower, led by declines in banks and energy stocks, the AP reports. High-dividend stocks like utilities, real estate investment trusts and phone companies rose Thursday as bond yields fell. Sears jumped 10% after the struggling retailer said it had secured a new line of credit. Trading was subdued ahead of the New Year's Day holiday. The Dow Jones industrial average gave back 13 points, or 0.1%, to 19,819. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell a fraction to 2,249. The Nasdaq composite slipped 6 points, or 0.1%, to 5,432. Small-company stocks fared better than the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 edged higher. (Read more Dow Jones stories.)