US stocks ended slightly lower on Monday as prospects for strong earnings were offset by fears that Portugal may be next in line in the euro zone to seek a bailout after Greece and Ireland.

The Dow Jones industrial average shed 37.31 points or 0.32 per cent to 11,637.45. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 1.75 points or 0.14 per cent to 1,269.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 4.63 points or 0.17 per cent at 2,707.80.

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