Stocks fell on Wednesday as investors worried that China's banks might be poised to hit the brakes on lending to stem market excesses, a move that could curb the global economic recovery.

Concerns about China hurt commodity prices and hit shares in the energy and raw materials sectors, while a steep drop in U.S. durable goods orders in June fed fears of more economic weakness.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 26.00 points, or 0.29 percent, to end unofficially at 9,070.72. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 4.47 points, or 0.46 percent, to finish unofficially at 975.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 7.75 points, or 0.39 percent, to close unofficially at 1,967.76.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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