Stocks fell on Wednesday in another late-day roller-coaster, dragged lower by declines in energy shares as the U.S. probe of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deepened.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 40.73 points, or 0.41 percent, to end unofficially at 9,899.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 6.35 points, or 0.60 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,055.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> slipped 11.72 points, or 0.54 percent, to close unofficially at 2,158.85.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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