US stocks have fallen sharply on continued unease over emerging markets and a number of high-profile earnings disappointments.

At the closing bell on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 150.41 (0.95 per cent) to 15,698.20.

The broad-based S&P 500 fell 11.79 (0.66 per cent) to 1,782.40, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 19.25 (0.47 per cent) at 4,103.88.

Anthony Conroy, head of global trading at BNY Convergex Group, said Friday’s losses were prompted by a confluence of factors, including some weak earnings reports and the sense of some investors that a correction was inevitable after the 2013 rise in stocks.

“The economy is probably okay,” Conroy said. “I think the emerging markets are probably weaker than expected.”