Stocks stagnate near three-month lows as homebuilders languish

Stocks were little changed today, hovering near the lows they established last November, as President Barack Obama laid out a $75 billion plan to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and the Federal Reserve sharply lowered its forecast for U.S. economic growth in 2009.

The markets were mixed, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising a scant 3 points, or 0.04 percent, to 7,555, while the S&P 500 fell 0.1 percent to 788 and the Nasdaq declined 0.18 percent to close just shy of 1,468.