Stocks Edge Mostly Lower, Weighed Down by the Energy Sector

U.S. stocks are edging mostly lower in midday trading, as another drop in the price of oil sends energy stocks lower.

Several retailers were also falling Friday, led by a big drop in Nordstrom after the department store operator released a weak forecast.

Technology stocks bucked the trend and moved higher. Facebook rose 1 percent and Applied Materials soared 9 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 34 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,376 as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped a point to 1,916. The Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, gained 18 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,504.

The price of U.S. crude oil fell 4 percent to just under $30 a barrel in New York.