US stocks fall to close out best two-year stretch since 1998

US STOCKS DECLINED in the final session of the year but still closed out the best two-year run since 1998. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.4% in its fourth down day, the longest losing streak to end a year since 1966. The Nasdaq 100 declined 0.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%. The Russell 2000 Index rose 0.1%.

- SIDHARTHA SHUKLA

S&P 500 Index has surged 23% this year, stoked mostly by the hype around artificial intelligence breakthroughs. But gains slowed in the final quarter of the year, as the pace of the rally raised concerns and investors grew jittery about factors such as President-elect Donald Trump's protectionist policies and the possibility of fewer interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.