@luv2trade:U.S. stocks lagged Thursday ahead of monthly employment data as traders failed to continue momentum from a rally fueled by Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s indication of a slowdown in rate increases. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) slipped 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 200 points, or 0.6%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite was an outlier — closing up 0.1%. In other pockets of the market, the U.S. dollar index retreated as the greenback had its worst monthly performance in over a decade, and U.S. Treasury yields held steady after sharp declines. Investors look ahead to the Labor Department's November employment report, due out at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect payrolls rose by 200,000 last month while the unemployment rate held at 3.7%. On the econo

@onlyYou:U.S. stocks were notably mixed on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closing in negative territory. Both key indexes posted strong gains the day before after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank was considering a smaller rate hike this month following four consecutive raises of three-quarter points each. Thursday included the latest data on consumer spending, which rose 0.8% in October and outpaced inflation growth. Oil prices also jumped, with the key WTI crude benchmark rising nearly 1% after the Wall Street Journal reported that the European Commission has asked the bloc’s 27 member states to approve a price cap on Russian oil of $60 a barrel. Heard's Carol Ryan cautions that the move is not without risk of blowback from Russia. The D