Wall Street falters on weak consumer data

Stocks extended losses on Friday, dragged lower by weak consumer sentiment data and declines in the healthcare and biotechnology sectors.

The losses eclipsed gains in technology shares that were lifted by an upbeat forecast from chip maker Intel and better-than-expected profit from computer maker Dell.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 74.22 points, or 0.77 percent, to 9,506.41. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 6.68 points, or 0.65 percent, to 1,024.30. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was off 6.90 points, or 0.34 percent, to 2,020.83.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Andrew Hay)