NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday, as investors grappled with concerns that a resilient economy might prompt the Federal Reserve to slow its pace of interest rate cuts.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 267.58 points, or 0.61 percent, to 43,449.9, for the ninth consecutive trading session of decrease, the longest losing streak since 1978. The S&P 500 sank 23.47 points, or 0.39 percent, to 6,050.61. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 64.83 points, or 0.32 percent, to 20,109.06.

Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with industrials and energy leading the laggards by losing 0.90 percent and 0.76 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer discretionary bucked the trend by rising 0.28 percent.

Major stock indexes declined ahead of the Fed's upcoming policy decision on Wednesday, where another quarter-point rate cut is widely anticipated. However, recent strong economic data has sparked speculation that the central bank may pause further easing after this meeting.

New data showed the U.S. retail sales climbed 0.7 percent month on month in November, surpassing expectations and reflecting robust consumer spending. At the same time, industrial production disappointed, falling despite forecasts for a rise.

The possibility of interest rates remaining higher for longer is weighing on parts of the market, particularly smaller companies and sectors more sensitive to the economic outlook, which have faced mounting pressure in recent weeks.

Fed policymakers kicked off their final gathering of the year earlier in the trading day, as traders are pricing in a 95 percent chance of a quarter-point cut, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool. However, there's concern among investors and economists that the central bank could be making a mistake and risking a stock market bubble or sparking more inflation.

"The Mag 7 performance chasers are taking one last sprint towards 2024 year-end so far in December, leaving the rest of the S&P 500 stocks on the sidelines and kicking the Dow to the curb," said Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial.

Investors also focused on Nvidia, whose shares have dropped over 10 percent from their record close in November. The chipmaker, a leader in the AI boom, closed down 1.22 percent on Tuesday, extending its recent slide amid broader market weakness in tech stocks. Enditem

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