US blue-chips slipped, while the broader market edged higher on Friday after the Federal Reserve injected cash to shore up the banking system and ease anxieties about the subprime mortgage crisis. Central banks in Europe, Japan and Australia also made billions available.


After a session of volatile trade on Friday, The Dow Jones Industrials dropped 31 points ending well off its session's low finishing at 13,240; the S&P500 managed to add just 1 point closing at 1,454, and the Nasdaq also ended well off its session's low loosing 12 points to finish at 2,545.

In company news, shares in Countrywide Financial were down 2.79% to $27.86 after the mortgage lender said it was facing "unprecedented disruptions" in the market and that the ultimate impact was unknown. Washington Mutual the largest U.S. savings and loan, said in a separate filing that market liquidity had "diminished significantly," and that it would be "adversely affected" while this persisted