U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday as investors focused on debt-ceiling talks in Washington D.C., which Republican Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana, a deputy for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said were on pause. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA ended about 109 points lower Friday, or 0.3%, near 33,426, but booked a 0.4% weekly gain. So did the other major U.S. indexes. The S&P 500 index SPX closed 0.2% lower, while booking a 1.6% weekly gain. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP shed 0.2% Friday, but gained 3% for the week to advance for a fourth week in a row, its longest weekly stretch of wins since February 3, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Focus on Friday also was on regional banks after CNN reported that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said more mergers in the sector might be needed.
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