Seesawing Dow Decides to Dip This Time

The only thing consistent about the stock market these days is the volatility. After a great day Wednesday, the markets slipped back into negative territory on Thursday—though nowhere near the depths of early in the week. The Dow fell 112 points to 33,174, the S&P 500 fell 18 points to 4,259, and the Nasdaq dropped 125 points to 13,129. As CNBC reports, it's all about Ukraine again. Investors apparently weren't thrilled that high-level talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials failed to yield a breakthrough.

“The violent gyrations of the market seem completely attached to Ukraine-Russia peace talks and the subsequent volatility of energy costs,” says Timothy Lesko of Mariner Wealth Advisors. “The fall in commodity prices [Wednesday} seemed to trigger a relief rally that is unwinding a bit as peace talks seemed fruitless.” As for oil prices, the AP notes volatility on that front, too. Prices rose nearly 6% before flipping between gains and losses. In the afternoon, the price of a barrel of US crude was $106, down 2%. (More stock market stories.)