Investors sent Washington a message this week: They won't commit to stocks until the government commits to a plan. Stocks ended lower Friday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to its lowest close since last November and leaving it with a weekly decline of 5.2 percent. The bulk of the market's decline this week came when US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he would assess banks' financial health and remove toxic assets with private sector help but failing to give details. It's possible some clues will emerge from the meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers. Officials from leading industrial nations are discussing new financial markets rules, concerns about protectionist measures in stimulus plans, and the effect of the financial crisis on poorer countries. But few analysts anticipate major breakthroughs in the group's report Saturday. With stock prices so low, “you're certainly rewarded for risk-taking. Unfortunately, it's not a great environment to take a lot of risk,” said Jack A. Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank. “It's a game of chicken, and most of us are chickens.” The Dow fell 82.35, or 1.04 percent, to 7,850.41. It was the lowest close since Nov. 20, when the blue-chip index settled at a five-and-a-half month low of 7,552.29. Broader stock indicators also fell. The SP500 index lost 8.35, or 1.00 percent, to 826.84, and the Nasdaq composite index decreased 7.35, or 0.48 percent, to 1,534.36.
