US stocks recovered from steep early losses in Friday's session but ended the week with sharp drops as an August swoon continued for Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) finished slightly above the flatline, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell slightly on the other side of it. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was down a modest 0.2% lower after three consecutive days of sharp losses.

For the week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each saw losses of around 2%.

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) fell slightly Friday to around 4.25% but remained near recent highs.

The moves come as investors consider the prospect that interest rates could remain higher for longer after Federal Reserve minutes this week showed the central bank wouldn't rule out further hikes. The next clue on the Fed's next move will come from Chair Jay Powell, who is set to give a speech next Friday at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.

Also, investors considered continued economic woes in China, as embattled property developer Evergrande filed for bankruptcy in US court.