US stocks : Dow down 0.6 pct
U.S. stocks fell for a fifth straight day on Friday, putting the S&P 500 on track for its longest losing streak in three months, as the federal government edged closer to the "fiscal cliff" with no solution in sight.
President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders were set to meet to make a last-ditch attempt to avert the devastating tax hikes and spending cuts that threaten to the throw the economy into recession.
Energy shares were the weakest, with the sector slumping 1.4 percent. The group is closely tied to the pace of growth, and investors worry that if no deal is reached on the fiscal cliff, it could severly depress demand for crude oil.
Exxon Mobil lost 1.6 percent to $85.48 and Chevron Corp fell 1.4 percent to $106.96. Obama and top lawmakers will meet at the White House later on Friday to work on a solution for the draconian debt-reduction measures set to take effect beginning next week.
Stocks, which have been influenced by little else than the flood of fiscal cliff headlines from Washington in recent days, lifted off lows after reports, which could not be confirmed, that Obama would offer a new plan to Republicans.
"We've been whipsawing around on low volume and rumors that come out on the cliff," said Eric Green, senior portfolio manager at Penn Capital Management in Philadelphia.
With time running short, lawmakers may opt to allow the higher taxes and across the board spending cuts to go into effect and attempt to pass a retroactive
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