Wall Street stocks closed modestly lower on Wednesday as a flurry of profit warnings and downbeat earnings news pared early gains.

By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2 per cent at 10,811.97, while the S&P 500 index was virtually unchanged at 1,210.08. The Nasdaq Composite was 0.2 per cent lower at 2,067.50. About 17 stocks declined for every 13 that gained on the New York Stock Exchange and for every 15 gainers on the Nasdaq.