The Dow industrials briefly turned negative on Wednesday as bank stocks extended losses, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq trimmed gains.

The pullback in financials tempered optimism from positive broker comments on bellwethers McDonald's and Procter & Gamble

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The KBW bank index <.BKX> fell 2 percent to a session low, while shares of JPMorgan Chase declined 2.4 percent. Goldman Sachs shed 3 percent to $136.71.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 12.98 points, or 0.15 percent, to 8,487.83. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 3.50 points, or 0.39 percent, to 911.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 7.45 points, or 0.43 percent, to 1,741.99.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)