By Gokhan Ergocun
ISTANBUL (AA) - The New York Stock Exchange closed the last trading day of the week lower amid concerns about the head of the Federal Reserve.
The Dow fell 0.17%, or 83.11 points, to close at 49,359.33.
The Nasdaq was off 0.06%, or 14.63 points, to end at 23,515.39, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.06%, or 4.46 points, to 6,940.01.
The Volatility Index (VIX), also known as the "fear index," rose 0.13% to 15.86.
Statements about the next chairman of the Fed and geopolitical developments led to a negative trend in equity markets.
US President Donald Trump said he wants to keep Kevin Hassett, the White House National Economic Council director, whose name has been mentioned among the candidates for Fed chairman, in his current position.
Analysts said following the remarks, former Fed Board member Kevin Warsh, among the candidates, has overtaken Hassett in the race for the head of the central bank.
Hassett is seen as a more "market-friendly" figure among the candidates to replace Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, whose term expires in May, but his ties to the White House have raised concerns about the bank's independence.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he met Thursday with Rick Rieder, a BlackRock executive and one of Trump's Fed chairman candidates, and that he expects the new Fed chairman to be announced before or after Trump's visit to Davos.
Trump said he could impose tariffs on countries that do not support the US acquiring Greenland.
On the macroeconomic data front, US industrial production increased 0.4% month-on-month in December, exceeding expectations.
Capacity utilization also increased 0.2 percentage points to 76.3% during the same period.
Markets in the US will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.