Stocks Close Mostly Lower, Posting Weekly Gain

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday, following reports that fighting in the Ukraine had heated up again. But major indexes posted weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 50.67 points, or 0.30%, to 16,662.91, making for a weekly rise of 0.7%. The S&P 500 fell 0.12 point, or 0.01%, to 1,955.06, leaving the index with a 1.2% weekly gain. The Nasdaq Composite rose 11.92 points, or 0.27%, to 4,464.93 and notching a 2.2% weekly advance.

Shake Shack, the fast-food restaurant chain famous for its hamburgers and milkshakes, is preparing to
go public, seeking to tap stock market demand for popular casual dining companies, according to people familiar with the matter.

E-commerce as a percent of total retail sales hit 6.4% last quarter, up from 6.2% in the first quarter and 5.8% in the second quarter of 2013, the U.S. Commerce Department reported. Overall retail-sales growth has weakened in recent months, while e-commerce is quickly picking up, growing 5% in the second quarter from the first quarter, the fastest pace in a year.

J.C. Penney (JCP) said that it had an adjusted loss of 75 cents per share in the third quarter, with revenue growing to $2.8 billion.