Stocks close lower after weak economic reports

Stocks ended lower Thursday after the release of lackluster U.S. economic data and amid ongoing trade discussions between the Trump administration and its Chinese counterparts. The Dow lost 103 points as Walgreens Boots Alliance lagged. The S&P 500 dipped 0.35 percent, led lower by the energy and health care sectors. The Nasdaq fell 0.4 percent.Durable goods orders for December rose 1.2 percent, the Commerce Department said. The department also said core capital goods orders fell 0.7 percent while economists polled by Reuters expected a gain of 0.2 percent. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve business index fell to negative 4.1 in February — its lowest level since May 2016 — from 17 in January. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected a print of 14."The fundamental data, as it gets worse, will start having a negative effect on asset prices again over the next couple of quarters," said Hugo Rogers, chief investment strategist at Deltec International Group. "At that point, the Fed might have to do something more dramatic than waiting and seeing."