Stocks opened lower on Friday as investors found few reasons to buy following a volatile week and ahead of a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 66.34 points, or 0.59 percent, to 11,083.48. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 5.65 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,153.62. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 9.26 points, or 0.38 percent, to 2,410.37.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak)

Ben Bernanke