NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday as investors fretted about the fate of the proposed bailout for ailing automakers, offsetting energy shares, which gained on a bullish outlook for oil.
* U.S. Labor Dept report showed the number of filings for new unemployment benefits surged to a 26-year high last week.
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 57.98 points, or 0.66 percent, to 8,703.44. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slipped 6.84 points, or 0.76 percent, to 892.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 18.12 points, or 1.16 percent, to 1,547.36.
(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by James Dalgleish)
