Stocks ended lower on Tuesday after a banking analyst said the sector's fundamentals have yet to improve, and a drop in wholesale inventories increased worries about an economic recovery.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 96.96 points, or 1.04 percent, to end at 9,240.99. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 12.81 points, or 1.27 percent, to 994.29. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 22.51 points, or 1.13 percent, to 1,969.73.

(Editing by Leslie Adler)