Modest loss for US stocks

The financial markets saw some relative calm today as investors uneasily awaited a Senate vote on the banking bailout plan, with Wall Street closing with only modest losses and the credit markets still showing signs of strain.

The Dow Jones industrials zigzagged during the session, losing more than 200 points in early trading but closing down about 20 – a far cry from the huge swings the blue chips saw during the first two sessions of the week.