U.S. stocks fell modestly Thursday as investors considered quarterly corporate results and economic data, while sovereign bonds around the world fell. U.S. Treasury yields rose broadly, as did yields in other countries including Brazil, Italy, and India. In U.S. economic news, weekly jobless claims fell to near multi-decade lows, and durable-goods orders fell unexpectedly. Pending home sales rose 1.5 percent, signaling improving housing-market conditions in coming months. The U.S. dollar traded higher against a basket of currencies. Gold futures for December delivery rose $2.90 to $1,269.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil ended a three-day losing streak, lifted by reported commitments from Gulf OPEC members to cooperate to stabilize prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 54 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $49.72 a barrel. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 29.65, or 0.2 percent, to 18,169.68. Eighteen of the index's 30 components fell, led by Boeing, which dropped more than 1.5 percent. Other big losers were Caterpillar and Chevron, which lost 1.3 and 1.2 percent, respectively. Gainers were led by Verizon and DuPont, which saw gains of 1.9 and 1.7 percent respectively. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.39, or 0.3 percent, to 2,133.04. Real estate fell 2.4 percent, leading six sectors lower, while telecommunications advanced 1.6 percent, leading five sectors higher. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 34.30, or 0.65 percent, to 5,215.97. Shares of Apple fell 0.9 percent.
