Stocks trimmed losses on Friday while the Nasdaq turned positive, lifted by results from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion that surpassed expectations.

Indexes were held back by profit taking after data showed further deterioration in the labor market, with the unemployment rate at its highest since 1983, and a tighter contraction in the services sector.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was off 27.16 points, or 0.34 percent, to 7,950.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slipped 1.97 points, or 0.24 percent, to 832.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 0.75 points, or 0.05 percent, at 1,603.38.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by James Dalgleish)