• The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 15.55 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 20,934.55, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 3.88 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,381.38 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 0.71 point, or 0.01 percent, to 5,900.76.
U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday pressured by healthcare shares as traders cashed in gains from one of the best performing sectors so far this year.
Proposals in President Donald Trump's budget signaled higher regulatory costs for the sector and a cut in federal funding for medical research. Though still a ways away from becoming a reality, they gave traders a reason to sell.
• Asian stocks crawled higher in early trade on Friday, set for its best week since September, while the dollar continued the slide that began after the Federal Reserve indicated it was unlikely to speed up monetary tightening.
• MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.1 percent, set to end the week with a 3.3 percent gain, its biggest weekly increase since September.
• Japan's Nikkei .N225 lost 0.4 percent, and is poised for a 0.5 percent loss for the week.
Reference: Reuters
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