NEW YORK — Stocks slipped Monday in one of the quietest trading sessions of the year. Worries about European debt crept up again, and Apple became the most valuable company ever.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 3.56 points, or 0.03 percent, to 13,271.64. The Standard & Poor’s 500 fell a sliver, 0.03 points, to 1,418.13. The Nasdaq composite index fell 0.38 points to 3,076.21.
With many traders and investors on vacation, volume on the New York Stock Exchange was light, with 2.7 billion shares traded. The average this year is about 1 billion more.
In a monthly report, the German central bank reiterated doubts about having the European Central Bank buy bonds to help struggling European economies. It stressed that such purchases could carry “substantial risks.”
Earlier this month, stocks rallied after ECB President Mario Draghi said the bank might buy bonds of some European countries to lower their borrowing costs. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also seemed to soften her stance on the idea.
“We’re getting mixed messages at best coming from Europe,” said Jim Russell, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “Investors are on the sidelines, and they’re still a little scared.”
Apple, the most valuable company in the world, became the most valuable in history. It hit a market value of $623 billion, surpassing Microsoft’s record from 1999. Apple is worth almost twice as much the next most valuable company, Exxon Mobil.
Apple stock rose $17.04, or 2.6 percent, to $665.15.
Stocks had been inching up for six weeks. On Friday, the Dow and the S&P closed just below four-year highs.
In the S&P 500, six of the 10 main industry groups fell, led by a 0.8 percent drop in telecommunications stocks.
In Europe, stocks fell. Greek stocks fell 2 percent. Spain’s main index was off 1 percent.
