Stocks relinquished earlier gains Friday as investors began to lock in some profits after an earnings-fueled rally this week.

Stocks relinquished earlier gains Friday as investors began to lock in some profits after an earnings-fueled rally this week.

Tech stocks shot out of the gate Friday after Microsoft and Amazon blew past earnings expectations. The Dow was up a few points at the start but the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1 percent as Microsoft gained 10 percent and Amazon soared 20 percent.

A late Thursday rally puts Wall Street on pace to chalk up its third consecutive week of gains, but as always, the positive momentum is subject to the whims of earnings and economic numbers once again this morning. 

The latest batch of earnings took a toll on the market Friday but the Dow still pulled off a gain in the final half hour of trading, capping its best two-week performance since 2000. Microsoft shares fell more than 8%.

Stocks took a hit Friday as a drop in consumer sentiment exacerbated losses triggered by a disappointing round of earnings from Microsoft, Amazon and AmEx. But the Dow poked higher in afternoon trading Microsoft shares fell nearly 10%.

Stocks skidded Friday as a drop in consumer sentiment exacerbated losses triggered by a disappointing round of earnings from American Express, Amazon and Microsoft.

Futures indicated a lower open for Wall Street on Friday, probably due to earnings exhaustion, as after-the-bell results reports from American Express, Amazon.com and Microsoft disappointed investors.