NEW YORK - WALL Street shares ended mixed on Thursday in choppy trade as earnings season continued apace with the Bank of America disclosing its latest profits fell a sharp 32 per cent, largely due to investment losses.

Stocks dipped in morning deals after Bank of America, the nation's second-largest banking firm, said its third-quarter net profit slowed to US$3.7 billion (S$5.4 billion) from a year ago, in part due to bad bets on mortgage-backed securities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 3.58 points, 0.03 per cent, at 13,888.96.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite ended up 6.64 points, 0.24 per cent, at 2,799.31 while the broad-market Standard & Poor's 500 index finished 1.16 points, 0.08 per cent, lower at 1,540.08.

'Bank of America reported third-quarter earnings that trailed estimates by a wide margin,' said Mr Al Goldman, a chief market strategist at AG Edwards.

The bank unveiled earnings per share of 82 cents. Wall Street had anticipated earnings per share of US$1.05.

'The best that can be said about this report is that it is the last of the large banks that is expected to have a third-quarter earnings problem as a result of the subprime mortgage mess,' said Mr Dick Green, a market analyst and president at Briefing.com.

The banking sector is reeling from its exposure to subprime loans, or home loans granted to Americans with stretched finances, and ailing mortgage-backed securities.

Bank of America's shares closed down 2.3 per cent at US$48.85.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer meanwhile said its third-quarter profit slipped 77 per cent from a year ago to US$761 million amid a big writeoff linked to the withdrawal of its Exubera diabetes drug. -- AFP

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