US stocks have given up early gains on firm bank earnings and a rise in consumer confidence to end the day broadly lower, with worries about the earnings season clouding optimism.

Better-than-expected third quarter gains by JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo gave stocks an early boost on Friday but profit-taking moved in quickly and only the blue-chip Dow stayed in the black – just barely.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2.30 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 13,328.69.

The broad-based S&P 500 lost 4.25 (0.30 per cent) to 1,428.59, while the tech-rich Nasdaq added 5.30 points (0.17 per cent) to 3,044.11.