Dow Jones Industrial Average Dips As Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT) Sheds Nearly 1%; S&P 500 Index Hits Intraday Record

U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Wednesday, as sharp declines in airline stocks offset the afternoon's gains. The latest minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve revealed the central bank ruled out June as a timetable for a hike in interest rates, sending the S&P 500 to an intraday record high of 2,134.72 in afternoon trading.