U.S. stocks closed lower yesterday, notching their worst day of the year. The dollar fell 0.1 percent against a basket of currencies. Light sweet crude oil for March delivery dropped 48 cents to $52.69 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures added $6.90 to $1,197.60. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 122.65, or 0.61 percent, to 19,971.13. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 13.79, or 0.60 percent, to 2,280.90. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index decreased 47.07, or 0.83 percent, to 5,613.71.