International Business: Whiplashed Wall Street struggles with mixed payrolls data – Gulf Digital News

International Business: Whiplashed Wall Street struggles with mixed payrolls data – Gulf Digital News

BOSTON - U.S. stocks and Treasury yields were mixed on Friday as investors digested payroll data and its potential impact on Federal Reserve policy in the final session of an already roller-coaster first trading week of the year.

U.S. employment rose by a less-than-expected 199,000 jobs last month as the impact of a resurgent pandemic bites, well below the 400,000 forecast by economists, but data for November was revised higher. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.9%, underscoring near full-employment.

"Seasonal adjustments, diverging surveys, and a volatile economic environment made this report a mess," Barry Gilbert, a strategist at LPL Financial in Boston, wrote in a note. "It won’t divert the Fed from its current path, but any rate decision will be more focused on the data over the next several months."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.81 points, or 0.01%, to 36,231.66, the S&P 500 lost 19.03 points, or 0.41%, to 4,677.02 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 144.96 points, or 0.96%, to 14,935.90.

Technology and growth shares eased as investors remained worried about the U.S. interest rate outlook, while consumer discretionary and technology sectors led the way lower on the S&P 500; financials extended recent gains.

It had already been a confusing week