The S&P 500 fell for the fourth straight day on Thursday as fresh signs of consumer weakness and worries about stringent financial regulation prompted investors to unload positions.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 145.79 points, or 1.42 percent, to 10,152.65. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 18.34 points, or 1.68 percent, to 1,073.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 36.81 points, or 1.63 percent, to 2,217.42.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)