U.S. stocks turn lower in volatile trade

U.S. stocks turned sharply lower heading into Thursday afternoon during what has been a volatile session for markets. The S&P 500 SPX, +1.53% was off 21 points, or 0.5%, to 3,958. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.19% retreated 163 points, or 0.5%, to 31,419. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +2.11% was down 80 points, or 0.6%, to 11,721.