Wall Street stocks close lower

Washington - Major US stock indices closed lower on Thursday after a leading package delivery service predicted slower economic growth in the next few quarters.

FedEx, the world's largest cargo airline, trimmed its global growth forecast to 2.3% from 2.9% just three months ago.

Widely considered an economic bellwether because its business so closely reflects business activity, the company cited a European recession and high oil prices as drags on global growth.

"We just don't have a strong economy as we had hoped it would be a year ago," FedEx chief financial officer Alan Graf told Wall Street analysts.

In New York, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 78.48 points, to 13 046.14. The broader Standard & Poors 500 Index shed 10.11 points, to 1 392.78. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was off 12 points, to 3 063.32.

The US currency edged up against the euro to 75.74 euro cents from 75.67 euro cents on Wednesday. The dollar fell against the Japanese currency to ¥82.62 from ¥83.43.