Another lacklustre trading session sent stocks lower on the New York exchange today despite a wave of corporate deals that underscored the economy’s overall health.

Stocks drifted lower in choppy trading in New York today as investors sifted through economic reports and corporate earnings, but Eastman Kodak surged on restructuring news.

US COMPUTER-RELATED stocks rose after Oracle Corp raised its offer for software maker PeopleSoft Inc and Lehman Brothers Inc boosted its rating on three semiconductor makers.