Dow, S&P 500 notch first two-day skid as fiscal stimulus talks fizzle

The Dow and S&P 500 closed lower on Thursday as rising jobless claims and faltering stimulus talks kept a damper on investor enthusiasm. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 71 points, 0.2%, to close around 29,998, just below the psychologically significant level at 30,000 while the S&P 500 finished 5 points, or 0.1%, lower at around 3,668. The Nasdaq Composite , however, gained about 67 points, or 0.5%, to close near 12,406. The Dow and S&P…