Stocks slid sharply on Friday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 down more than 1 percent during the last half-hour of the session as investors pared back exposure to riskier assets amid worries about fiscal turmoil in Europe.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 24.41 points, or 0.24 percent, to 10,096.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 7.60 points, or 0.70 percent, to 1,076.93, after hitting an intraday low at 1,071.59. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 26.66 points, or 1.22 percent, to 2,152.34.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Jan Paschal)