New York ? Stocks finished another volatile session narrowly mixed Friday, as gains in the energy, utilities and materials sectors offset some of Wall Street’s angst over the fate of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

The three major indexes all managed to end the week higher.

The troubles of the financial sector dominated trading, as investors tried to glean insights into Lehman’s race to sell itself or otherwise regain Wall Street’s confidence. The company’s shares have spiraled lower this week, heaping pressure on executives at the No. 4 U.S. investment bank to line up a buyer or source of fresh cash.

Lehman shares – which tumbled 42 percent Thursday and are down more than 94 percent for the year – fell another 57 cents, or 13.5 percent, to $3.65 on Friday.

The market is anticipating that Lehman will arrive at a deal over the weekend, said Ryan Larson, senior equity trader at Voyageur Asset Management. Lehman, the government and other banks have been declining to comment officially on the issue, but bankers and industry executives have been saying that Lehman is working feverishly to find a buyer.

An unexpected slowdown at cash registers last month also weighed on the stock market Friday, particularly on shares of retailers and other consumer discretionary stocks. The Commerce Department said retail sales fell by 0.3 percent in August.

The Dow Jones industrials ended at 11,421.99, finishing the week up 1.79 percent. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at 1,251.70, up 0.76 percent, and the Nasdaq composite index rose to 2,261.27, up 0.24 percent for the week.