(Reuters) - Stocks hit session lows on Thursday after a gauge of future economic activity fell in March for the first time in seven months and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly contracted in April.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 66.02 points or 0.45 percent, to 14,552.57, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 9.1 points or 0.59 percent, to 1,542.91 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 26.38 points or 0.82 percent, to 3,178.29.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Nick Zieminski)