The only noticeable rumblings came from the financial sector, where banking shares shot higher after Nations Bank and Bankamerica announced a US$ 59 billion merger, while Banc One and First Chicago NBD announced a deal worth nearly US$ 30 billion. The deals came just a week after Citicorp and Travelers group agreed to a deal worth more than US$ 70 billion.

Declining issues barely outnumbered advancers on the NYSE, where volume came to 68.27 million shares, up slightly from Thursday's early pace. . The S&P's 500 list was down 1.61 at 1,109.06, and NYSE composite index was down 0.27 at 578.08after the first half hour.