Banks, Insurers Weigh on Stock Market

Stocks are closing mixed Thursday as losses for banks and insurers are partly offset by gains in health care and technology companies, the AP reports. Banks fell along with bond yields, which tends to force interest rates on loans lower. Insurance companies fell as investors weighed the prospects of losses caused by Hurricane Irma, which is projected to hit Florida this weekend. Berkshire Hathaway, a big insurance provider, fell 1.6%. Barnes & Noble sank 9.6% after reporting weak results.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell less than a point to 2,465. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 22 points, or 0.1%, to 21,78. The Nasdaq edged up 4 points, or 0.1%, to 6,397. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 2.05%. (More stock market stories.)