US stock indexes stay stuck; bond yields and dollar rise

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes stuck to their holding pattern today, as the Standard & Poor's 500 index entered its most listless stretch of trading in more than three years. Bond yields and the dollar resumed their moves higher.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was virtually flat at 2,268 as of 3 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 41 points, or 0.2 percent, to 19,785. The Nasdaq composite was close to flat at 5,539. Slightly more stocks fell on the New York Stock Exchange than rose.

If the S&P 500 holds where it is, today will be the ninth straight day where it has swung by less than 0.4 percent, up or down. The last time that happened was in July 2013.

Stocks have been in a wait-and-see period in recent weeks after their torrid run since Election Day. The S&P 500 is up 6 percent since Donald Trump's surprise victory of the White House, driven higher by expectations for lower corporate taxes and less regulation. Trump will take the oath of office Friday, and investors are waiting to see how much of his campaign-trail rhetoric will turn into policy changes.