Stocks were lower, led by the Nasdaq, after midday on Friday, with S&P 500 facing a test of technical support.

The Dow Jones industrial average was off 5 points, or 0.04 percent, at 11,760. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 3 points, or 0.32 percent, at 1,212. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17 points, or 0.69 percent, at 2,570.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)