U.S. stocks close lower

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 243.36 points, or 0.52 percent, to 46,358.42. The S&P 500 sank 18.61 points, or 0.28 percent, to 6,735.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 18.75 points, or 0.08 percent, to 23,024.63. Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with materials and industrials leading the laggards by dropping 1.52 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer staples bucked the trend by going up 0.61 percent. Enditem