U.S. stocks inched lower Friday, ending the week little changed, as White House comments on monetary policy sent the dollar and government bond prices sliding. Major indexes struggled to break higher throughout the week as investors parsed dozens of earnings reports and rebukes from President Donald Trump on Federal Reserve policy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1% on Friday, rising 0.2% for the week. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% on the day and added less than 0.1% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite edged down less than 0.1% on the day and advanced less than 0.1% for the week. Even as uncertainty around trade and monetary policy has weighed on the markets this year, analysts and investors say upbeat earnings and economic data are helping them remain cautiously optimistic. S&P 500 firms are on track to report their second fastest pace of earnings growth since 2010 for the second quarter, according to FactSet, pointing to sustained momentum in the U.S. even as growth elsewhere around the world has faltered. The US gold price gained 0.8% to record 1231.5 US$/oz.
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