NEW YORK, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Wall Street closed mixed on Friday, as a deeper-than-expected decline in consumer confidence added to concerns that the economic slowdown may be prolonged.

    The Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment decreased to 64.6 in July, the lowest level since March, from 70.8in June due to job security concerns.

    Meanwhile, investors also shed positions ahead of more earnings reports. Chevron Corp. slid nearly three percent, after the second biggest U.S. energy producer said the falling dollar slashed overseas profit. International Business Machines Corp. also declined as Goldman Sachs downgraded its shares to "neutral."

    Falling crude prices continued to weigh on the market on Friday. A barrel of crude traded below 60 U.S. dollars on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil prices have fallen sharply since hitting an eight-month high of 73 dollars early last week, which sent stocks falling as investors anticipate that a weak world economy will mean less demand.

    However, technology companies posted gains as a group, the best performance among the 10 industries in the S&P 500, after MEMC Electronic Materials, the maker of silicon wafers for solar modules and semiconductors, was raised to "buy" from "hold" at Citigroup Inc. and Yahoo was raised to "market weight" from "underweight" by Thomas Weisel Partners.

    The Dow Jones fell 36.65, or 0.45 percent, to 8,146.52. Broader indexes moved mixed. The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 3.55,or 0.40 percent, to 879.13, while the Nasdaq added 3.48, or 0.20 percent, to 1,756.03.