NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks ended a volatile week on a down note on Friday (Sept 16), with weakness in energy, industrials and financials pushing US equities lower.

Key factors behind the declines included a drop in oil prices and negative sentiment towards banks, in part because of the dimming odds for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike next week.

Technology shares generally outperformed the broader market, with Amazon climbing 1.1 per cent to US$778.24 following an RBC Capital Markets note that set a US$1,000 target for shares.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 18,123.66, down 0.5 per cent.

The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.4 per cent to 2,139.15, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 0.1 per cent to 5,244.57.