Prices were mixed on Wall Street yesterday as the stock market was unable to settle on a clear direction. A profit warning from Caterpillar sent blue chip stocks falling.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 31.81, or 0.3 per cent, to 11,003.89, losing ground after a 152-point gain on Thursday. The Dow ended the week - which included a big rally on optimism about stable interest rates - with a gain of 234.57, or nearly 2.2 per cent.

Broader stock indicators were mixed. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 2.95 to 1,421.99 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 21.99 to 3,369.10.