Financials lag as S&P 500 ends at post-2008 high

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) � Financial stocks failed to capitalize on the broader market�s positive mood and fell on Friday, closing out the week nearly 1% lower.

Decliners outnumbered gainers with Morgan Stanley MS �falling 2.5% while Bank of America Corp. BAC �lost 1.8% and Citigroup Inc. C �shed 1.1%.

Among the sector leaders were Charles Schwab Corp. SCHW �which climbed 2.4% and E-Trade Financial Corp. ETFC �which added 1.8%.

American International Group AIG rose 1.5% after the insurance company late Thursday reported its fourth-quarter profit jumped 77% to $19.8 billion. Read about AIG�s results

Click to Play Awaiting Buffett's annual letter

Barrons.com columnist Brendan Conway has details of market-moving events, including a preview of Warren Buffett's annual letter to investors. AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Both Class A BRK.A � and Class B BRK.B �shares of Berkshire Hathaway closed up 0.8%. Chief Executive Warren Buffett is expected to release his annual letter to investors on Saturday.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund XLF , which tracks financial stocks in the S&P 500 Index SPX , fell 0.3%. However, the S&P 500 ended at its highest since June 2008 on better-than-expected economic report data. Read MarketWatch�s stock market review

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