Stocks fell for the third consecutive session Friday as investors remained nervous about the U.S. economy and the outlook for the technology sector. Stocks opened lower and fell in the morning before recovering in afternoon trading. The market has struggled to regain momentum in the last three sessions after closing at a 13-month high earlier this week. Technology shares were pressured after computer maker Dell reported weak third-quarter results late Thursday. In economic news, U.S. mass layoffs-defined as at least 50 layoffs by a single employer-declined in October. More U.S. states suffered rising unemployment rates last month, though fewer reported joblessness above the national average. The U.S. dollar rose versus the euro and the yen, pressuring oil prices, which fell 74 cents to $76.72 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold prices recovered from early losses to close at a record high of $1,146.80 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 14.28, or 0.1 percent, to 10,318.16. The broader Standard & Poor"s 500 index fell 3.52, or 0.3 percent, to 1,091.38. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 11.92, or 0.55 percent, to 2,146.04. Dell reported a sharp drop in quarterly profit that missed Wall Street estimates, and the personal-computer (PC) maker"s shares fell 10 percent. The New York Stock Exchange composite index fell 33.17 to 7,084.47. The American Stock Exchange composite index fell 23.29 to 1,782.07. And the Russell 2000 index fell 1.00 to 584.68.
