New York ? Wall Street fell back Friday as investors, beset by new accounting concerns at IBM, decided it was time to sell and lock in profits from the week’s rally.

A disappointing consumer sentiment survey provided even more incentive to retreat. Analysts said the decline, while not surprising after the market’s big move up, reflected investors’ ongoing reluctance to commit until earnings are more certain. The tech sector suffered the steepest losses.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 98.95, or 1.0 percent, at 9,903.04, pulling back from the 10,000 level it passed by just over a point on Thursday. The Dow had gained 376 points in the previous five sessions.

Broader stock indicators also fell, with the tech-focused Nasdaq composite index losing 38.17, or 2.1 percent, to 1,805.20. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 12.30, or 1.1 percent, to 1,104.18.

For the week, the Dow gained 1.6 percent, the Nasdaq fell 0.8 percent and the S&P advanced 0.7 percent.

IBM slid $5 to $102.89 on reports the technology bellwether used a $300 million sale to lower its fourth-quarter operating costs. The company denied any wrongdoing. IBM is a Dow component, and its loss accounted for roughly 34.5 points, or more than a third, of the average’s decline.

Investors also sent shares of Nvidia down $4.81 to $57.35 after the manufacturer of graphics chips revealed the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into some of its 2000 and 2001 results.

Dell Computer fell $1.21 to $25.60 after the company said slow first-quarter sales should pick up as businesses and other large customers begin spending later this year on replacement technology.

The selling spread to retail and financial stocks. Home Depot dropped $1.03 to $50.52, while J.P. Morgan slipped 16 cents to $30.05.

Friday’s selloff followed what had been a generally strong week for stocks. The market had been moving higher, rebounding from a monthlong selloff on doubts about the accuracy of corporate bookkeeping and concerns that business is still sluggish. Those concerns still remain, however, leading some to doubt the market can go much higher until they are resolved.