US stocks decline again amid rising anxiety

US stocks Monday finished lower again as investors anxiously awaited a busy week of economic news that includes a US Federal Reserve policy meeting. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 40.52 points (0.26 percent) to 15,838.59, the fifth consecutive session in negative territory. The broad-based S&P 500 declined 8.75 (0.49 percent) to 1,781.54, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gave up 44.56 (1.08 percent) at 4,083.61. Stocks fell sharply last week on concerns about weak corporate earnings and uncertainty in emerging economies. Investors are "anxious," said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at S&P Capital IQ. "People feel as if they got caught off guard" last week. Key events this week include major earnings reports from Apple, Boeing and other giants. The Fed will conclude a two-day policy meeting Wednesday. "We don't know whether it's a short-term blip that will bounce back, or whether indeed it's beginning to tell us that our GDP growth and earnings projections are too high," Stovall said.