Wall Street ends lower on West Asian worries

The US markets erased a 3-day winning streak as oil prices continued to rise amid West Asian tensions. The indices ended lower after trading in a narrow range for most of the session.

Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.15% or 17.9 points at 12018.63. Nasdaq Composite was down 0.31% or 8.22 points at 2683.87. Standard & Poor's 500 was down 0.365 or 4.61 points at 1293.77.

In economic data from US, home prices fell 0.3% in January. While the Richmond Fed index came in at 20 for March, down from 25 in February.

In the currency space, the euro eased back after hitting a 4-1/2-month high against the dollar but expectations of a euro zone interest rate hike next month could limit any downside for the currency.

Crude continued to rally as it traded near a two-week high on the back of West Asian turmoil and the Japanese nuke crisis. Brent prices traded at above the USD 116 per barrel mark as supply remained constrained.