Wall Street falls on energy and tech

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell in choppy trade on Wednesday as energy shares slid in the wake of falling crude oil prices and tech stocks were hit by a weak outlook from BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.

Financial shares recovered some ground from a massive sell-off on Tuesday, triggered by concerns over the government's plan to shore up the banking system.

An unexpected profit outlook from Research in Motion and disappointing earnings from graphic chipmaker Nvidia Corp pushed the Nasdaq lower, highlighting the slowdown in both business and consumer spending.

Energy shares fell as crude oil futures slid more than a dollar a barrel on a larger-than-expected build in domestic crude stocks, following a forecast from the International Energy Agency of lower global oil demand this year.

The declines offset a rebound in financials as bank officials testify on Capitol Hill a day after U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to shore up banks failed to inspire confidence.

The guidance from Research In Motion was a significant negative and has kept tech in check." said Michael James, senior trader at regional investment bank Wedbush Morgan in Los Angeles. "The weakness in that and Nvidia has put something of a pall on technology.

Research In Motion was the top drag on the NASDAQ, falling nearly 18 percent to $46.86 while Nvidia tumbled more than 14 percent to $7.97.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shed 0.96 points, or 0.01 percent, to 7,887.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 0.66 points, or 0.08 percent, to 826.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> slid 7.26 points, or 0.48 percent, to 1,517.47.

Exxon Mobil and Chevron were the top weights on the blue-chip index, falling 2.9 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

In contrast, shares of JPMorgan climbed more than 3 percent, making it among the top boosts to the Dow, while Citigroup and Bank of America added 5.4 percent and 7.2 percent respectively.

The S&P financial index rose 2.6 percent, and the KBW Banks index <.BKX> advanced 3.3 percent.

(Editing by Tom Hals)