Most US benchmark equity indexes retreated for the fourth week in a row on Friday as worries about a global trade war grew, although a rebound on Friday was welcome after an apparent agreement in Congress to fund the government through Sept. 30.

The Nasdaq Composite closed Friday 17,754.09, down from 18,196.20 at the end of last week, while the S&P 500 finished at 5,638.94, down from 5,770.20 a week ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid to 41,488.19, from 42,801.72.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was also down, because those firms typically are considered more sensitive to economic downturns. The index closed at 2,044.1 on Friday, down from 2,075 a week earlier.

In economic news, a University of Michigan survey of consumer sentiment fell for the third month in a row, dropping 57.9 in March from 64.7 last month.

US Treasury yields rose Friday, with the 10-year rate gaining 4.2 basis points to 4.32% and the two-year rate adding 6.8 basis points to 4.02%.

Among companies, Apple (AAPL) added nearly 2%, despite the fact that its heavily promoted artificial intelligence upgrades for its Siri personal assistant won't arrive before May, possibly later.

To the upside, Intel (INTC) added nearly 2% after the chipmaker said earlier this week that Lip-Bu Tan would be its next chief executive,

West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled $0.63 higher at $67.18 per barrel after Russia balked at terms of a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, reducing chances for an end on sanctions on Moscow.