Stocks end mostly lower but trim losses as stagflation jitters continue to rattle markets

Stock-index futures ended mostly lower Thursday, but finished above session lows as investors continued to fret over inflation and the Federal Reserve’s response.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.33% closed with a loss of around 104 points, or 0.3%, near 31,730, according to preliminary figures, after trading as low as 31,228.22. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.13% ended near 3,930, down 0.1%, after trading as low as 3,859 — a close below 3,837.25 would see the large-cap benchmark enter a bear market with a drop of 20% from its early January record finish. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.06% erased a loss to close 0.1% higher near 11,371.