Stocks fall to end worst week for Dow this year

Stocks dropped on Wall Street Friday, ending what was the worst week of the year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Stocks had a decent start in the first half of the week, but investors were hit hard in the last three days.

Stocks fell Friday, closing out what was the worst week of the year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The market was dragged lower by a weak performance from retailers and companies sensitive to higher interest rates. Homebuilders and banking stocks were among the best performers.

Stocks had a decent start in the first half of the week, but investors were hit hard in the last three days. Overall, the Dow retreated 2.2 percent for the week, its worst for 2013. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 2.1 percent for the week, its second-worst performance of the year.

The possibility of a cutback in the Federal Reserve's massive bond-buying program in September has roiled the bond market in the last couple of weeks, which in turn spilled over into the stock market. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.83 percent, its highest level since July 2011. A week ago, the yield was 2.58 percent. In the bond market, yields rise as bond prices fall.

"When yields are going up like this, that's scary for most equity investors," said Brian Reynolds, chief market strategist at Rosenblatt Securities.

On Friday, the S&P 500 lost 5.49 points, or 0.33 percent, to 1,655.83. The Dow fell 30.72 points, or 0.2 percent, to 15,081.47 and the Nasdaq composite lost 3.34 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,602.78.

Shares of utilities and telecommunications companies, which typically perform poorly in a higher interest-rate environment, closed broadly lower. New York-based utility Consolidated Edison Inc. fell 75 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $56.64 while California's PG&E was down 71 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $42.64. Dow components Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. fell 1.7 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.

Retailers continued their multi-day selloff. Nordstrom Inc. gave a bleak sales outlook late Thursday that echoed similar forecasts from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Macy's Inc. earlier this week. The outlooks have raised worries that U.S. shoppers might be pulling back on spending.

Nordstrom's stock fell $2.90, or 4.9 percent, to $56.43, making it the biggest decliner in the S&P 500.

The retail industry is a closely-watched part of the U.S. economy as consumer spending makes up roughly 70 percent of economic activity. The disappointing outlooks are worrisome because they take into account the back-to-school shopping season, typically the second-biggest shopping period for U.S. retailers.

"It's left us scratching our heads," said John Fox, who oversees $873 million in assets as co-manager of the FAM Value Fund. "It really forces you to ask the question: 'is the consumer slowing down?'"

Investors have also been concerned about what will happen to the stockmarket -- and the U.S. economy -- if the Fed begins winding down its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program in September. Some investors think that the Fed's program has been a large contributor to the stock market's record run.

"The big question is, will the Fed eliminate the bond-buying program in September, and, if so, how they will they remove the bond buying," said Frank Davis, director of sales and trading for LEK Securities.

Reynolds said investors should expect more selling ahead of the Fed's decision.

"Expect a correction, but a shallower correction than the one that happened in June," he said.

With the bond market in decline and stocks selling off, investors shifted into a safer asset — gold. Its price rose $10.1, or 0.7 percent, to $1,371. Gold had its third-best week this year, rising 3.7 percent.

In other news, personal computer maker Dell Inc. reported a 72-percent drop in its fiscal second-quarter earnings. That may help convince Dell shareholders to approve the $24.8 billion buyout proposed by founder Michael Dell. and private-equity firm Silver Lake.

Shares of Dell rose 12 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $13.82 - below the proposed buyout price of $13.88 per share.