Stocks Ended Slightly Lower, dragged Down by Energy

U.S. stocks closed slightly lower on Wednesday, as the energy sector came under renewed pressure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 37.39 points, or 0.20%, to 18,495.66. The S&P 500 fell 6.25 points, or 0.29%, to 2,175.49. The Nasdaq Composite declined 20.90 points, or 0.40%, to 5,204.58.

Oil futures settled Wednesday at their lowest level in a week after U.S. government data showed a weekly climb in crude inventories and a report from OPEC revealed record production from Saudi Arabia in July. September West Texas Intermediate crude lost $1.06, or 2.5%, to settle at $41.71 a barrel.

The federal government ran a budget deficit of $113 billion in July, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday, $36 billion less than in the same month last year.

U.S. job openings increased in June and layoffs dropped to their lowest in nearly two years as labor market conditions tightened further, according a government report on Wednesday.

Orbital ATK (OA) stock plunged Wednesday after the U.S. aerospace contractor disclosed it would miss its second-quarter filing deadline due to an accounting issue.