Stocks fell for the fourth consecutive session and second consecutive week on Friday, with the three major indexes ending in negative territory for the first four-plus months of the year, as investors considered the Greek debt crisis one day after one of the most dramatic sessions in Wall Street history. The Dow industrials are now 7.5 percent below April highs, while the broader Standard & Poor's 50 index is down 8.7 percent and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index is down a steeper 10.4 percent. Stocks were volatile during the session, with the major indexes crossing the breakeven line several times during the day. Europe's debt crisis was in focus as riots continued in Greece. British elections failed to produce a ruling majority for the first time since the 1970s. And U.S. investors remained nervous after a session in which the Dow lost nearly 1,000 points in 20 minutes before rebounding two-thirds of the way back. In U.S. economic news, employers added 290,000 jobs in April, the government said, surprising economists who expected 187,000 new jobs. It was the biggest monthly advance since March 2006. However, the national unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent from 9.7 percent, where it had remained for three consecutive months, as more people sought work. The U.S. dollar fell 1 percent versus the euro and rose 1.1 percent versus the yen. On Thursday, the euro had fallen to its lowest point versus the dollar since March 2009. Light sweet crude oil for June delivery fell $2 to $75.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold rose $13.10 to $1,210.40 an ounce, nearing its record high above $1,226 reached in December. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 139.89, or 1.3 percent, to 10,380.43. Twenty-six of the index's 30 components fell, led by American Express, which lost 4.5 percent, and Cisco Systems, which fell 3 percent. Shares of Kraft Foods rose nearly 3 percent. The S&P 500 index fell 17.27, or 1.5 percent, to 1,110.88. The Nasdaq fell 54.00, or 2.3 percent, to 2,265.64.
