Stocks nearly flat

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NEW YORK, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes slipped fractionally on a light-trading Monday, with investors focused on Europe's financial crisis.

A spokesman for the European Central Bank was quoted as saying rumors of the ECB buying government bonds was "absolutely misleading," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Stocks were flat in most of Europe although benchmark yields for 10-year government bonds retreated slightly in Spain and Italy, Tradeweb said.

By close of trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 3.56 points or 0.03 percent to 13,271.64. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index shed 0.38 points or 0.01 percent to 3,076.21. The Standard and Poor's 500 gave up 0.03 points, less than 0.01 percent, to 1,418.13.

On the New York Stock Exchange, 1,339 stocks advanced and 1,677 declined on a volume of 2.6 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year treasury rose 2/32, yielding 1.812 percent.

The euro rose to $1.2344 from Friday's $1.2335. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 79.37 yen from 79.57 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei closed at 9,171.16, adding 78.40 points, or 0.86 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index lost 0.17 percent, 10.14, to 5,824.37.