U.S. stocks ended lower in the year's final trading session on Friday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to its first loss since 2002.

The Dow declined 0.61 percent in 2005. The S&P 500 rose for a third consecutive year, advancing 3 percent.

The tech-laced Nasdaq also climbed for a third straight year, rising 1.37 percent, helped by multi-digit gains in bellwethers including Google Inc..

In the broad S&P 500 index, energy stocks were the best performing in 2005, with a 29.1 percent gain, buoyed by a record high in oil prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 67.32 points, or 0.62 percent, to end at 10,717.50. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index slipped 6.13 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,248.29.

The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 12.84 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,205.32.

Volume was lighter than average on Friday, with about 1.11 billion shares changing hands on the NYSE, well below last year's daily average of 1.46 billion.

On Nasdaq, about 1.34 billion shares were traded, below the 1. 81 billion daily average of 2004.

About three shares fell on the NYSE for every two that rose, while on Nasdaq, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by a ratio of about 4 to 3.

U.S. markets will be closed on Monday in observance of New Year 's Day.

Source: Xinhua