The stock market closed moderately lower, extending a losing streak ahead of a contentious US presidential election, the AP reports. Polls showing a tighter race have caused some nervousness on Wall Street, and that funk continued on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index, the mostly widely used benchmark for mutual funds, fell for the seventh day straight, its longest losing streak in five years. Several companies fell after posting disappointing results. Frontier Communications slumped 14% after reporting a loss that was wider than analysts were expecting.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 77 points, or 0.4%, to 17,959. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 13 points, or 0.7%, to 2,107. The Nasdaq composite gave up 48 points, or 0.9%, to close at 5,105. (More stock market stories.)