NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday after several days of muted trading as investors took a defensive posture before Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's much-awaited speech on Friday.
Based on the latest available results, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 106.54 points, or 0.81 percent, at 13,000.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 10.94 points, or 0.78 percent, at 1,399.55. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 32.47 points, or 1.05 percent, at 3,048.71.
(Reporting By Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
