NEW YORK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday, suffering a third late-day sell-off in a row, suggesting it may be difficult to chalk further gains as the year comes to a close.
Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 19.07 points, or 0.17 percent, to end unofficially at 11,457.47. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 6.35 points, or 0.51 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,235.24. The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 10.50 points, or 0.40 percent, to close unofficially at 2,617.22. (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)