US stocks have ended in negative territory as investors, left with no economic data or any sentiment-swaying catalysts, took the opportunity to consolidate ahead of the third-quarter earnings season.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq inched back from Wednesday's record closing highs, while the blue-chip Dow closed with the deepest percentage decline.

"The earnings cycle is upon us and there's a wait-and-see in terms of whether we'll see the same level of consistency of earnings growth in the coming quarter that we've seen in the last two quarters," said Matthew Keator, managing partner in wealth management firm the Keator Group.

"Couple that with the uncertainty surrounding the lack of data coming out of Washington and how the Fed navigates that, it's natural to see a bit of a pullback."

The

See Full Page