Wall St ends flat, volume among lightest of year

Stocks were little changed on Wall Street as mixed data gave investors little indication whether Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke might signal more economic stimulus from the Fed when he speaks on Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 21.68 points, or 0.17 percent, to 13,102.99. The S&P 500 Index dipped 1.14 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,409.30. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 3.95 points, or 0.13 percent, to 3,077.14.

Europe's top shares lost ground today as economic growth concerns kept investors subdued and reluctant to trade while waiting to learn more about further stimulus from central banks.

The FTSEurofirst was down 4.23 points, or 0.4 percent, at 1,091.75, erasing the previous session's gains but keeping within its recent 30 point trading range.

Volumes were very low at just 18 percent of their 90-day daily average.

In Asia, the Nikkei average fell to a two-week closing low as some investors made bearish bets after a recent strong run and as concerns over China's economic growth outweighed expectations the US Federal Reserve will soon launch more stimulus.

The Nikkei lost 0.6 percent to 9,033.29, while the Nikkei China 50 index, made up of Japanese companies with significant exposure to China, shed 1.2 percent. The broader Topix index dropped 1.2 percent to 746.30.