New York (AFP) - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in the red on Friday local time, with the Dow posted a loss of six weeks in a row for the first time since 2002.
Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 172.45 points (1.42 percent) to 11,951.91 at the close of trading.
The S & P 500 lost 18.02 points wider (1.40 percent) to 1270.98, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index gave up 41.14 points (1.53 percent) to 2643.73.
All but three of the 30 Dow components fell, with Pfizer and Travelers fell more than three percent.
Caterpillar, Home Depot, Walt Disney and Boeing all fell more than two percent.
There are few data releases on the calendar to give the market direction, but a stronger sense of malaise.
"Anxiety about the global economic recovery remains everywhere, exacerbated by a smaller-than-expected increase in China's trade surplus," said analysts at Charles Schwab.
Bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond fell slightly to 2.99 percent from 3.00 percent on Thursday. The yield on the 30-year bond fell to 4.21 percent from 4.22 percent.
Prices and bond yields move in opposite directions, according to AFP report.
