Stocks Ended Lower and Booked Solid February Gains

U.S. stocks finished near their lows on Thursday, after data showed U.S. economic growth came in a better-than-expected rate in the fourth quarter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 69.16 points, or 0.27%, to 25,916.00. The S&P 500 was down 7.89 points, or 0.28%, to 2,784.49. The Nasdaq Composite fell 21.98 points, or 0.29%, to 7,532.53. For the month, all three benchmarks closed with monthly gains of at least 3%, representing their second straight monthly gains.

Oil futures split paths on Thursday, on weaker Chinese economic data, which fed concerns over a demand slowdown. Both benchmarks, however, finished the month higher, up a second consecutive month. April West Texas Intermediate crude rose 28 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $57.22 a barrel and climbed 6.4% for the month of February. April Brent fell 36 cents, or 0.5%, to $66.03 a barrel and rose 6.7% for the month.