Wall Street finished a difficult week lower today as investors, restrained by uncertainty about the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina, had little reaction to a sharp decline in oil prices and a drop in unemployment.

US stocks drifted lower in quiet trading today as oil prices edged upward and concerns about the car industry intensified when Ford slashed its profit outlook for the year.

A surge in oil prices sent the major stock indexes to their lowest level of the year today as investors overlooked a strong earnings report and a bullish outlook from General Electric Co. All three indexes fell for the third straight week.

Wall Street pulled back today as wary investors decided to cash in recent gains despite upbeat news on IBM Corp. and Intel Corp.

Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso was honoured by his fellow professionals last night when he was handed the Scottish Professional Football Association’s Player of the Year award.