New York, Sep 26 (DPA) Wall Street stocks lost ground for a third straight trading session Friday as contradictory economic news kept investors on edge.

A report Friday on durable-good orders disappointed economists, and new home sales fell short of expectations. Meanwhile, a private measure of consumer confidence showed unexpected strength.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 42.25 points, or 0.44 percent, to 9,665.19. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index fell 6.4 points, or 0.61 percent, to 1,044.38. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 16.69 points, or 0.79 percent, to 2,090.92.

In a week of light trading, the S&P 500 was off 2.2 percent since Monday, its largest weekly drop in more than two months.

The US currency slipped against the euro to 68.078 euro cents from 68.201 euro cents Thursday. The dollar plummeted against the Japanese currency to 89.635 yen from 91.26 yen Thursday.