US markets end choppy trading session mostly lower on Friday

09 Jul 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended choppy trading session mostly lower on Friday following the release of a closely watched Labor Department showing stronger than expected U.S. job growth in the month of June. The data eased worries about the economy while also adding to concerns about aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment jumped by 372,000 jobs in June after surging by a revised 384,000 jobs in May. Street had expected employment to increase by 268,000 jobs compared to the addition of 390,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. The stronger than expected job growth reflected notable job gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and healthcare. Meanwhile, the report showed the unemployment remained at 3.6 percent for the fourth month in a row, matching street estimates.

On the sector front, most of the major sectors ended the day showing only modest moves, contributing to the lackluster close by the broader markets. Tobacco stocks showed a substantial move to the downside, however, with the NYSE Arca Tobacco Index plunging by 3.4 percent to its lowest closing level in well over a year. Telecom and steel stocks also saw some weakness on the day, while strength was visible among brokerage and housing stocks. Meanwhile, investors were looking ahead reports on consumer and producer price inflation, which could impact the outlook for interest rates. Reports on retail sales, industrial production and consumer sentiment are also on investors’ radar. Traders are also eyeing quarterly results from financial giants JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), Citigroup (C) and Wells Fargo (WFC).

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 46.40 points or 0.15 percent to 31,338.15 and S&P 500 was down by 3.24 points or 0.08 percent to 3,899.38, while Nasdaq rose 13.96 points or 0.12 percent to 11,635.31.

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