NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks have slumped in one of their worst showings this year.
Greece once again cast a long shadow over the financial markets as that country slogs through negotiations over a bailout.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 97 points at 12,781. The Dow barely missed its first triple-digit loss this year. It's still the worst decline for the Dow in 2012. The average was down as much as 125 points during the day.
The Standard & Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq composite index climbed tentatively through the morning but gave up their gains by afternoon. The S&P fell seven points Wednesday to 1,343. The Nasdaq fell 16 points to 2,916.
Declining stocks outnumbered gainers by about 4-to-3. Volume was about average at 4 billion shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
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