US stocks retreated Friday, capping the worst week since February on new reports of falling housing prices and automaker Ford warning that energy costs were impacting sales, the dpa reported.
The National Association of Realtors said existing home sales fell 1 per cent in March, sparking a sell-off of homebuilders.
Ford Motor Co, the second-largest US carmaker, blamed falling truck sales on the surging price of petrol in the United States.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 145.99 points, or 1.16 per cent, to 12,479.63. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 18.42 points, or 1.32 per cent, to 1,375.93. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 19.91 points, or 0.81 per cent, to 2,444.67.
For the week, the Dow dropped 3.9 per cent, the S& P 3.5 per cent and the Nasdaq 3.3 per cent.
The dollar fell to 63.44 euro cents from 63.57 euro cents on Thursday and dropped against the Japanese currency to 103.39 yen from 104.11 yen.
Gold rose 7.50 dollars to 925.80 dollars per fine ounce.