Dow ends more than 180 points lower, but stocks book monthly gains

Stocks ended lower Friday as investors shrugged off largely strong earnings reports and economic data, dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite to weekly losses but leaving solid monthly gains intact. The Dow fell around 186 points, or 0.5%, to close near 33,875, according to preliminary figures, while the S&P 500 fell around 30 points, or 0.7%, to end near 4,181 and the Nasdaq Composite gave up around 120 points, or 0.9%, finishing near 13,963. Friday's losses left the Dow down 0.5% for the week, while the S&P 500 clung to a gain of less than 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.4%. That left the Dow with a monthly gain of 2.7%, while the S&P 500 rose 5.2% for the month and the Nasdaq advanced 5.4%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.