US Stocks Fall As French Finance Minister Confirms Cut By S&P

U.S. stocks fell Friday but remained on pace to squeak out a weekly advance, as fears of a credit downgrade of several euro-zone countries added to disappointing results from J.P. Morgan Chase.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 92 points, or 0.7%, to 12380 in afternoon trading Friday, after tumbling as many as 159 points earlier in the session. The Standard Poor’s 500-stock index dropped 10 points, or 0.8%, to 1285, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 20 points, or 0.7%, to 2705.

The declines came as French finance minister Francois Baroin confirmed that U.S.-based rating agency Standard and Poor’s …