Blue-Chip stocks ended lower wrapping up a month of spectacular volatility that saw the Dow Jones industrial average post its 39th record high for the year in early August, only to be dragged down. At the close, the Dow was off 72.01 points at 7,622.42, standing almost 637 points, or nearly 8 per cent, below its August 6th record close of 8,259.31.

In the broader market, declining issues led advances by a small margin on light, pre-holiday volume of 408 million shares. Analysts said the market was rattled by a new crop of economic numbers that showed the economy is picking up steam, which could tempt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates despite signs that inflation is still in check.