The Dow Jones industrials closed a volatile day with a tiny gain, but the broader stock market buckled for the second day in a row as nervous investors sold their holdings to lock in recent profits before the end of the year.

At the close on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 1.16 to 6,304.87.

The Dow fell more than 50 points early in the day, erased those gains by late morning and then swung widely throughout the rest of the session.

Bonds were rising, with the long bond up 23-32 point, and that helped pull blue-chip stocks out of the ditch.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by an 11-to-8 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,053 up, 1,449 down and 809 unchanged.