laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.61 of a point, or 0.03 percent, at 2,047.76. "The market is choppy in anticipation of the Iraq election on Sunday and the Fed meeting next week," said Steve Goldman, market strategist at Weeden & Co. Goldman added that Microsoft's earnings were good but McDonald's results were offsetting its impact. Meanwhile, U.S. crude futures fell $1.29 to $47.50 a barrel as OPEC looked set to keep its output unchanged at its meeting this weekend. On the economic front, gross domestic product data showed that the U.S. economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate in the fourth quarter. The GDP figure came in at 3.1 percent, with economists expecting a 3.5 percent gain. In other earnings news, Sanmina-SCI Corp. fell 16 percent to $6.25 after the contract electronics manufacturer posted a higher quarterly profit, but said sales were at the low end of expectations because of pricing pressure and a sluggish business climate. --SP 1952 Local Time 1652 GMT
