Stocks opened lower on Friday as the market struggled to make headway despite technical resistance and investors' worry about the impact of handling euro-zone debt problems.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 22.51 points, or 0.18 percent, at 12,582.81. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 2.31 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,341.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 5.83 points, or 0.21 percent, at 2,817.48.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

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