Stocks Ended Flat as Budget Talks Continued

U.S. stocks ended little changed on Friday as lawmakers work to thrash out a budget agreement. Up 0.1% for the week and off 0.6% for the month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.76 points to 13,025.58. The S&P 500 index gained 0.23 point  to 1,416.25, leaving it up 0.5% from the week-ago close and up 0.3% for November. The Nasdaq shed 1.79 points to 3,010.24, a 1.5% weekly gain and up 1.1% for the month.

House Speaker John Boehner lashed out Friday at President Barack Obama, saying negotiations to avoid the “fiscal cliff” are “almost nowhere.” Boehner spoke after Republicans disclosed that the White House was $1.6 trillion in tax increases up front, as well as $50 billion in additional stimulus spending.

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss on Monday the terms of the Greek debt buy-back to be announced that day and review a Cypriot bailout, though no decision on Cyprus will be taken, a senior EU official said on Friday.

Groupon Inc’s shares fell more than 10 percent, a day after the online daily deals company’s board backed founder-CEO Andrew Mason, disappointing investors who hoped for a leadership change.