U.S. stocks drop on economic malaise, off for week

(MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks declined Friday on light summer trading volumes, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its second consecutive week of losses as concerns about economic growth weighed on investor sentiment.

The blue-chip index lost 57.59 points, or 0.56%, to finish at 10213.62, putting it in negative territory for the week, month and year. The Dow /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 10,214, -57.59, -0.56%) has lost 2.1% for the year.

The Nasdaq Composite Index /quotes/comstock/10y!i:comp (COMP 2,180, +0.81, +0.04%) rose less than one point to 2179.76 while the S&P 500 Index /quotes/comstock/21z!i1:in\x (SPX 1,072, -3.94, -0.37%) slipped 3.94 points to 1,071.69.

A fall in the euro /quotes/comstock/21o!x:seurusd (EURUSD 1.2705, -0.0114, -0.8893%) on Friday reminded investors of lingering sovereign-debt concerns and added to the week's push-and-pull between encouraging corporate news and weaker-than-expected economic data.

A resurgence in deal activity to the highest levels since late 2009 contrasted with persistent reminders of the struggling global economic recovery. (more)