The Dow and the S&P 500 dropped on Friday as concerns about the outlook of bond insurers weighed on financial shares, but bargain hunting in the technology sector pulled the Nasdaq into positive territory.
Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM - News) dropped 1.7 percent, and led the Dow's losers, while credit card and travel services company American Express Co (NYSE:AXP - News) slid 2 percent.
The drag from financial shares was driven in part by investor unease about the outlook for bond insurers after Moody's Investors Services cut its "AAA" ratings for bond insurer XL Capital Assurance, a unit of Security Capital Assurance (NYSE:SCA - News).
Comments from a Federal Reserve official saying a recession might not be avoidable were another headwind for stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) was down 67.06 points, or 0.55 percent, at 12,179.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^SPX - News) was down 6.00 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,330.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq:^IXIC - News) was up 3.59 points, or 0.16 percent, at 2,296.62.
Investors fear that downgrades of bond insurers could further harm the banking sector and stunt the global economy as financial institutions take a hit from subsequent write-downs of their assets.
JPMorgan shares fell to $44.23 on the New York Stock Exchange, while shares of American Express dropped to $45.55.
Shares of MBIA Inc (NYSE:MBI - News), the world's largest bond insurer, slipped by 0.4 percent to $14.12.
The company on Thursday sold $1 billion of shares to raise capital it hopes will help it avoid a rating downgrade. The sale was at a discount to MBIA's closing price.
On the Nasdaq, Apple Inc (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) provided the biggest lift to the index, with a gain of 1.7 percent to $123.24. Tech stocks recently have taken a beating as investors worried about business spending, making some stocks attractively priced.
as attractive valuations lured investors to seek bargains.
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Janet Yellen, speaking in Honolulu, indicated on Thursday a willingness to cut U.S. interest rates further, but she said she was not confident a recession can be avoided this year.
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