The blue-chip index plunged 118.04 points at 37,592.98.
The S&P 500 eked out a gain of 3.59 points to 4,783.83.
The NASDAQ edged higher 2.58 points to 14,972.76.
On the week, the major averages were headed for modest gains. The Dow was up about 0.3%, while the S&P 500 was tracking for a 1.8% advance. The NASDAQ proved the outperformer, up 3% through Thursday’s close.
Monday, markets in the U.S. will be closed for Martin Luther King Day.
UnitedHealth dragged the Dow lower, with the stock losing 3.4% despite the company announcing higher-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter. Delta Air Lines also fell nearly 9% even after exceeding quarterly earnings expectations.
A slew of big banks also reported earnings Friday. Bank of America lost 1% after posting declining fourth-quarter profit, while Wells Fargo shares shed 3.3% despite posting a higher profit for the quarterly period. Shares of JPMorgan Chase lost 0.7% even after the bank said its earnings slipped by 15% from a year earlier.
Citigroup, meanwhile, added 1% after announcing the company is cutting 10% of its workforce. Earlier Friday, the bank posted a $1.8 billion quarterly loss after incurring several large charges.
Investors got some encouraging news on inflation Friday with wholesale prices unexpectedly declining by 0.1% in December. The data
follows the more widely followed consumer prices data Thursday, which came in modestly hotter than economists had forecasted, with prices up 0.3% on the month and 3.4% from a year ago.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury jumped, lowering yields to 3.94% from Thursday’s 3.98%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices added 75 cents to $72.77 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices hiked $32.00 to $2,051.200.