NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday, with declines picking up steam late in the day after a Federal Reserve official said the central bank could begin easing up on its monetary stimulus this summer.
Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 42.47 points, or 0.28 percent, to end unofficially at 15,233.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index slipped 8.31 points, or 0.50 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,650.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index declined 6.37 points, or 0.18 percent, to close unofficially at 3,465.24.
(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)