Last-Second Lurch in S&P 500 Ends Bid for Third Year of Gains
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A two-point decline completed in the last seconds of trading sent the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a 2011 loss of 4/100ths of a point, ending a two-year streak of gains for the benchmark gauge of American equities.
The measure traded at an average price of 1,261.18 during the day and stood at 1,260 with 10 minutes left, up about 2 points from its Dec. 31, 2010, close of 1,257.64. It remained positive for the year with 15 seconds to go at 1,257.91 before slipping to 1,257.60 on the session’s last trades.