Friday Morning Market Roundup: Last Trading Day of the Month...How Are we Doing?

Here’s what’s shaking:

Stocks:

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U.S. stocks are getting off to a slow start after a three-day rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 49 points, or 0.4 percent, at 14,973 in the first few minutes of trading Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down three points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,609. Technology stocks fell the most in the index.

The Nasdaq composite was down six points, or 0.2 percent, at 3,395.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion plunged 26 percent to $10.69 after reporting a surprise loss in its first quarter. The company didn't say how many of its new BlackBerrys were sold.

The S&P 500 index is up 12.8 percent so far this year and is heading for its best first half of a year performance since 1998.

Oil:

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The price of oil rose Friday as the U.S. economic outlook brightened and concerns eased about a credit crunch in China.

Benchmark oil for August delivery was up 21 cents to $97.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.55 to finish at $97.05 on Thursday after the U.S. government released data showing an increase in in consumer spending and home sales while jobless claims fell.

Brent crude, which is used to set prices for oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, fell 2 cents to $102.80 a barrel.

Markets:

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.