The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 10.12 points (0.12 per cent) to 8,270.47 at the closing bell.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 0.15 point (0.01 per cent) to 1591.56 and the broad Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.28 points (0.15 per cent) to a provisional close of 869.88.
Traders were playing "their cards close to their vest, anxiously awaiting the details of the structure of President Obama's economic stimulus plan that is being hotly debated in the Senate", experts at Charles Schwab said.
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