Wall Street's growing angst about company earnings gave stocks a mixed finish today, with the Dow Jones industrials suffering their fifth straight loss.

Stocks pulled back today after aluminium producer Alcoa Inc. kicked off earnings season with a weaker-than-expected profit report and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting stoked concerns about the economy.

Nagging worries about inflation bogged Wall Street down today with investors sending stocks lower as they tried to reconcile solid economic and earnings news, reports of anthrax discovered at the Pentagon, and a gloomy outlook on semiconductor stocks.

Wall Street surged ahead today, completing a remarkable 12-month period that saw the major indexes make a stunning rebound from the depths of the three-year-long bear market.