The stock market closed slightly lower led by declines in phone companies, banks, and health care providers, the AP reports. Verizon slumped 2.3% Friday, while Bank of America lost 1.6%. In earnings news, Mattel nosedived 13.6% after the struggling toy maker reported a big drop in sales.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 7 points, or 0.3%, to 2,348. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 30 points, or 0.2%, to 20,547. The Nasdaq composite gave up 6 points, or 0.1%, to close at 5,910. (More stock market stories.)