U.S. Stocks Close Lower As Shaky GE Outlook Ends Week

U.S. stocks closed lower Friday, with the Dow industrials finishing lower for the week, as General Electric Co.'s outlook cast a cloud over earnings season, which is just getting started. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 31.71 points, or 0.2%, to close at 21,580.07, with shares of GE falling 2.9% and shares of Chevron Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. helping to lead blue chips lower. For the week, the Dow finished 0.3% lower, snapping a two-week win streak. The S&P 500 index declined 0.91 point to close at 2,472.54, with five out of 11 sectors finishing lower, led by declines in energy and industrials. The index logged a 0.5% gain for the week, for a third week of gains. The Nasdaq Composite Index closed down 2.25 points at 6,387.75. The tech-heavy index finished up 1.2% for the week for a third week of gains.