Stocks Down as Oil, Gas Prices Plunge

Stocks are closing mostly lower after another steep drop in oil and natural gas prices pulled energy companies down. Prices for crude oil and natural gas each slumped about 6% Monday, the latest blow to the beleaguered energy sector. Oil and gas companies took heavy losses. Devon Energy sank 7% and Murphy Oil lost 6%. Not all the news was bad: Aetna jumped 2% after reporting solid earnings.

The Dow Jones industrial average edged down 17 points, or 0.1%, to 16,449. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost less than a point to 1,939. The Nasdaq composite edged up six points, or 0.1%, to 4,620. Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.96%.