Investing.com - U.S. stocks ended Thursday mixed as investors jumped to the sidelines to await the release of the December jobs report on Friday.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.11%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.03%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.23%.
Uncertainty over the strength of the December jobs report and unemployment rate kept investors on the sidelines Thursday.
On Wednesday, payroll processor ADP reported that private-sector nonfarm payrolls rose by 238,000 in December, surpassing consensus forecasts for an increase of 200,000.
Earlier Thursday, the Labor Department said the number of individuals filing for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell by 15,000 to 330,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 345,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to decline by 10,000.
The Federal Reserve has said it will pay close attention to data when deciding on further cuts to its USD75 billion monthly bond-buying program.
Fed bond purchases aim to suppress long-term interest rates to spur recovery, making asset classes like stocks more attractive with the goal of encouraging more investment and hiring.
Talk of less Fed intervention can send stock prices falling by stoking uncertainty as to how markets will perform without a crutch from the U.S. central bank.
By Thursday, a wait-and-see mode allowed for sideways trading.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included DuPont, up 1.54%, Boeing, up 1.12%, and Johnson & Johnson, up 0.78%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Verizon, down 2.05%, AT&T, down 2.03%, and Exxon Mobil, down 0.97%.
European indices, meanwhile, finished lower.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.68%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.84%, while Germany's DAX 30 fell 0.80%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished down 0.45%.
On Friday, markets will move on the U.S. December jobs report.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.11%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.03%, while the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.23%.
Uncertainty over the strength of the December jobs report and unemployment rate kept investors on the sidelines Thursday.
On Wednesday, payroll processor ADP reported that private-sector nonfarm payrolls rose by 238,000 in December, surpassing consensus forecasts for an increase of 200,000.
Earlier Thursday, the Labor Department said the number of individuals filing for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell by 15,000 to 330,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 345,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to decline by 10,000.
The Federal Reserve has said it will pay close attention to data when deciding on further cuts to its USD75 billion monthly bond-buying program.
Fed bond purchases aim to suppress long-term interest rates to spur recovery, making asset classes like stocks more attractive with the goal of encouraging more investment and hiring.
Talk of less Fed intervention can send stock prices falling by stoking uncertainty as to how markets will perform without a crutch from the U.S. central bank.
By Thursday, a wait-and-see mode allowed for sideways trading.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included DuPont, up 1.54%, Boeing, up 1.12%, and Johnson & Johnson, up 0.78%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Verizon, down 2.05%, AT&T, down 2.03%, and Exxon Mobil, down 0.97%.
European indices, meanwhile, finished lower.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.68%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.84%, while Germany's DAX 30 fell 0.80%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 finished down 0.45%.
On Friday, markets will move on the U.S. December jobs report.