Mixed end for US stocks

Wall Street ended a tumultuous two-week run relatively quietly today, finishing another back-and-forth session mixed as investors were cheered by signs of easing in the credit markets and managed to absorb lacklustre economic news with equanimity.

The expiration of options contracts helped tug the market in different directions throughout the session. Still, the Dow Jones industrial average traded within a narrower range than it had in much of the past two weeks.