Wall Street ends the week on a sour note

US stock indices closed lower but still near record highs, amidst the second-quarter earnings season for major American banks and corporations. 

General Electric led the way down, after slumping three percent to the lowest since October 2015 after its second quarter earnings tumbled by 60% y/y. 

Dow Jones shed 0.15%, or 31.71 points to 21,580.07, while Standard and Poor's 500 dipped 0.04%, or 0.91 points to 2,472.54. NASDAQ Composite slipped 0.04%, or 2.25 points to 6,387.75. 

Gold futures due on December 16 rose 0.66% to $1,260.40 an ounce from the opening of $1,252.10, while the dollar index dropped 0.37% to 93.95 from the opening of 94.30, marking a 13-month low. 

US crude futures due on September 15 tumbled 2.62% to $45.69 a barrel from the opening of $46.92, while Brent crude futures due on September 15 sank 2.70% to $47.97 a barrel from the opening of $49.30.