(Refiles to fix typo to read 'earnings' in paragraph 6)
* JPMorgan, other banks fall after disappointing profit
* China trade surplus narrows, signaling slower growth
* Vertex shares rally; semis also gain
* Dow off 0.1 pct, S&P off 0.02 pct, Nasdaq up 0.7 pct * For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to late afternoon, changes byline)
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The Dow and S&P 500 slipped on Thursday as JPMorgan's earnings and China's soft economic data increased worries about the impact of slower growth on third-quarter profits.
The declines followed three staight days of gains, while the Nasdaq stayed in positive territory, helped by semiconductor shares.
The S&P 500 rose six out of the last seven sessions, and has run up 11.4 percent from an intraday low hit last Tuesday.
The benchmark S&P index has had its largest seven-day gain since March 2009 on growing optimism that European leaders were making progress in tackling the region's debt problems.
JPMorgan Chase & Co
"It's early, but it seems like after having a series of great corporate earnings in the face of not-such-great macro numbers, now maybe we're seeing a little bit less robust corporate earnings," said Eric Kuby, chief investment officer of North Star Investment Management Corp. in Chicago.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slipped 12.45 points, or 0.11 percent, to 11,506.40. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dipped 0.22 of a point, or 0.02 percent, to 1,207.03. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> rose 17.81 points, or 0.68 percent, to 2,622.54.
China's trade surplus narrowed for a second straight month in September as both imports and exports were lower than expected, pointing to cooling domestic and global economic demand. For details, see [ID:nL3E7LD0GV]
According to a Reuters poll, analysts have reined in their expectations for U.S. economic growth, though it is still expected to pick up a notch by year-end. [ID:nN1E79B12N]
Boosting the Nasdaq, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc
An index of semiconductors <.SOX> gained 2.2 percent. (Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Jan Paschal)