The Dow industrials briefly fell into negative territory, led down by banks, in midday trading on Friday. Stocks sharply pared gains earlier in the day after weaker-than-expected data on new home sales.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was up 3.33 points, or 0.02 percent, at 13,362.94, after slipping as low as 13,346.60, which put it momentarily in negative territory. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX was up 1.83 points, or 0.12 percent, at 1,478.20. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC was up 3.02 points, or 0.11 percent, at 2,679.81.