U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Wednesday, as investors waited for the Dow Jones industrial average to reach 20,000 for the first time. The dollar fell against a basket of currencies. Light sweet crude oil for February delivery dropped 1.5 percent to $52.49 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures added 20 cents to $1,133.40. The Dow lost 32.25, or 0.16 percent, to 19,942.37. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 5.58, or 0.25 percent, to 2,265.18. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index decreased 12.51, or 0.23 percent, to 5,471.43.
