US stocks close mixed in choppy trade on weak economic data

US stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P 500 flat, the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite slightly up and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down as weak data revealed the economic toll taken by President Donald J. Trump’s trade policies.

- 

The services sector contracted in May for the first time in nearly a year, while businesses paid higher input prices, a reminder that the economy was still at risk of slowing growth and rising inflation. Early gains in the S&P 500 evaporated toward the close and trading volume was relatively light.

"Tariff impacts are likely elevat-ing prices paid by services sector companies," said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial.

The ADP National Employment Report showed US private employ-ers in May added the fewest number of workers in more than two years. Investors await Friday’s nonfarm-payrolls data for more signs on how trade uncertainty is affecting the US labor market.