U.S. stocks mostly end lower, S&P 500 extends losses as investors weigh quarterly earnings

U.S. stocks finished lower Wednesday, with the S&P 500 booking back-to-back losses as investors continued assessing companies’ quarterly earnings results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed about flat, while the S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 0.2%, according to preliminary data from FactSet. Among the S&P 500’s 11 sectors, utilities had the worst performance with a 1.4% drop. Guidance companies provide on their outlook is also weighing on market sentiment amid concern over a slowing U.S. economy, with tech-giant Microsoft Corp. warning in a conference call Tuesday…