Stocks Drift Lower As Corporate Earnings Wind Down

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 44 points, or 0.3%, to 16,505 in the first few minutes of trading Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting lower in early trading as U.S. corporate earnings wind down.

Ralph Lauren sank 5 percent after its revenue forecast disappointed investors.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 44 points, or 0.3%, to 16,505 in the first few minutes of trading Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell seven points, or 0.4%, to 1,868. The Nasdaq composite gave up 15 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,036.

CBS fell 3% after the media company's first-quarter revenue fell short of analysts' projections. Advertising sales at television's top-rated network slumped 12 percent.

Symantec rose 4% after the security software maker said cost cuts helped boost its fourth-quarter profit margins and net income.

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