Stocks end lower as investors monitor Ukraine developments

Stocks fell Monday, but closed off session lows, as investors monitored the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and continued to assess the path of future Federal Reserve rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.49% fell around 172 points, or 0.5%, to close near 34,566, according to preliminary figures, after falling more than 430 points at its session low. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.38% declined around 17 points, or 0.4%, to finish near 4,402, while the Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.00% fell less than a point to end near 13,791. Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov on Monday suggested that Moscow continue talks with the U.S. and its allies over security arrangements. But stocks stumbled in afternoon trade after the U.S. announced it was closing its embassy in the Ukraine capital of Kyiv and moving diplomatic operations 340 miles west to Lviv near the Polish border.