Wall Street finished relatively little changed on Friday as Energy shares rallied on fears of possible damage to Oil installations from Hurricane Ike. On the other hand, US Retail Sales figure for August disappointed, which had the effect of dragging down the retailers. Financials also dropped sharply as uncertainty hung around the fate of Lehman Brothers (LEH), Washington Mutual (WM) and AIG (AIG).

The Dow Jones industrial average finished at 11,421.99, down 11.72 points (-0.10%). The Standard & Poor's 500 Index closed up 2.67 points (+0.21%), at 1,251.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 3.05 points (+0.14%) to 2,261.27. Three stocks advanced for every two that fell on the NYSE. The markets settled with mild weekly gain.

Economic data and indicators released today had largely a mixed impact upon the markets.

According to the data released by the Commerce Department, US Retail Sales unexpectedly dropped 0.3% in August. Economists were expecting a rise of 0.2%. Earlier, it saw a 0.5 percent drop in July. Excluding automobiles, purchases were down 0.7%, the most this year.

According to Labor Department release, Producer Price Index dropped 0.9% in August. The drop was more than economists’ forecast and followed a 1.2% increase in July. Core producer prices that exclude fuel and food rose 0.2%, matching forecasts.

The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment rose to 73.1 in September from 63 in August.

Among the retailers, Department Store Macy's (M) was the worst hit with its stock sliding 4.76%.  Wal- Mart (WMT) was down 1.20% at $62.41. Home Depot Inc. (HD) lost -2.37% to $28.80.

Commodity producers rallied on Friday. Shares of energy producers climbed higher as gasoline rallied on Hurricane Ike's progress. Exxon Mobil (XOM) gained 2.6% finished at $77.60 while Chevron Corp. (CVX) rose 1.74% to $84.24. Leading refiners Valero Energy Corp.(VLO) and Tesoro Corp.(TSO) gained 8.84% and 7.12% respectively.

Automobile makers climbed higher on expectations that the US motor car industry may get $25bn in government loans this year. General Motors (GM) rose 1.3% to $12.92. Rival Ford Motor (F) also gained.

Mining stocks also edged higher as metals gained on Dollar's slide. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FMR) added 8.2% to $73.88 and Newmont Mining Corp.(NEM) rose 6.4% to $39.66.Alcoa Inc. (AA) climbed 3.69% to $28.64.

However, Financials dampened the sentiment on Friday as investors still remain anxious about the fate that awaits the leading banks. Financial majors like Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual etc. have suffered huge losses in the credit and mortgage market and doubts are being raised about their capital needs and survival prospects

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the government will not use any money to assist Lehman (LEH) beyond the liquidity facilities already available to the struggling investment bank. Lehman fell 13.15% to $3.65.World's largest insurer AIG (AIG) finished at $12.14, down 31.62%. Washington Mutual Inc. (WM) retreated 3.5% to $2.73 on reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. isn't in talks to acquire the biggest U.S. savings and loan. Merrill Lynch (MER) was down 12.3%. Freddie Mac (FRE) and Fannie Mae (FNM) also settled with hefty losses

Dollar weakened against Euro on weak Retail Sales Data and finished the day with sharp losses. Crude Oil extended its decline and even dropped below $100 at NYMEX.

European Shares rallied. UK FTSE finished at 5416.70, with a gain of 1.85%. German DAX and French CAC were up 0.91% and 1.97% respectively.