U.S. stocks wavered Friday, slipping slightly into the red in afternoon trading but still on track for the strongest month in four years, AP reported. OCTOBER SURPRISE: After a steep drop in late August and a rocky September, stocks came back in a big way in October. The Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen for five consecutive weeks and is up 8.6 percent this month, the best month for the index since October 2011. The index is on track for its biggest monthly point gain in its 77-year history, rising about 169 points. The next-best month was March 2000, the height of the dot-com bubble, when it rose 132 points. October's gains were fueled by increases in materials, energy and tech companies. FRIDAY FADE: After venturing into positive territory Friday midday, the Dow Jones industrial average reversed and dipped 60 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,696 as of 3:30 p.m. The S&P 500 lost seven points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,082. The Nasdaq composite index slid 17 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,057. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude rose 53 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $46.59 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, advanced 76 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $49.56 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline rose 5.5 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $1.405 a gallon. Heating oil picked up 2.5 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $1.499 a gallon. Natural gas rose 6.4 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $2.321 per 1,000 cubic feet. METALS: Gold fell $5.90, or 0.5 percent, to $1,414.40 an ounce. Silver rose 1.7 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $15.57 an ounce. Copper slipped a fraction of a cent to $2.257 a pound. CURRENCIES: The dollar lost value against the yen, falling to 120.70 yen from 121.11 on Thursday. The euro rose compared to the dollar, reaching $1.100 from $1.0974. -- SPA 23:23 LOCAL TIME 20:23 GMT تغريد
