Conflicting signals keep US investors off balance

A barrage of conflicting signals on interest rates kept US investors off balance yesterday, leaving the Dow industrials little changed while most stocks ended with modest losses.

At the close of trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.21 at 11,036.34. The Dow had risen more than 50 points in earlier trading.

Broader stock indicators were mostly lower.

The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 6.30 to 1,344.15, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 28.48 to 2,808.78.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a three-to-two margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,785 down, 1,185 up and 578 unchanged.