TECH STOCKS: Retail Report Doesn't Bother MarketsTECH STOCKS: Retail Report Doesn't Bother Markets

A disappointing retail report wasn't enough to stop Wall Street, where stock indexes ended higher Friday following a few days of erratic trading. Still, most indexes ended the week slightly lower, signaling that investors may be taking a breather after weeks of optimistic buying.

The Department of Commerce reported U.S. retail sales were up 0.6% in August, while analysts were predicting the increase would exceed 1%. The news hurt the markets early in the day, but they bounced back thanks to a last-minute burst in trading. The Dow Jones eked out a 0.1% gain for the day, rising 11.79 points to 9,471.55, while the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, or 2.21 points, to 1,018.63. Technology-heavy indexes fared slightly better: The information 100 rose 0.9%, gaining 2.61 points, to close at 283.94, and the Nasdaq rose 0.5%, gaining 8.95 points, to close at 1,855.04. The Nasdaq-100 tracking index rose 0.1%, or 4 cents, to close at $33.68 as more than 104.6 million shares changed hands.

Despite a heavily attended user conference in San Francisco, Oracle's stock took a hit Friday, primarily because of a poor quarterly sales report. Oracle's stock price fell 3.3%, or 43 cents, to $12.55 per share.

For the week, the information 100 fell 2.1%, while the Dow Jones fell 0.3% and the S&P 500 fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq barely moved, down just 0.2% for the week. "Generally speaking, people are optimistic, but we're now at valuations that are appropriate as long as the economic and profit picture continue to improve as they have been," Susan Malley, chief investment officer at Malley Associates Capital Management, told The Associated Press. "As we move into the earnings pre-announcement season, people are standing pat in case there are any bad surprises."