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Wall Street insinuates choppy trading after weaker jobs data

U.S. stock indexes inched lower on Tuesday after labor market information intensified worries about growing weak point in the economy, while profit-taking in a few of Wall Street's most popular stocks added to the losses.

Indexes slipped after a Labor Department report showed

job openings

were down to 8.05 million in April, lower than an expectation of 8.35 million, ahead of the closely enjoyed nonfarm payrolls figures for May, due on Friday.

The data was the latest in a string of current reports that have increased issues about a slowdown in the world's. biggest economy, leading markets to anticipate an earlier start to. interest-rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The yields on Treasury bonds slipped following the. report. Expectations for a September rate decrease now stand. around 65%, versus below 50% last week, according to the CME's. FedWatch tool.

The evidence is collecting that the Fed ought to start. alleviating ... less workers are quitting every month, plainly. signaling fewer chances to earn greater salaries by changing. tasks, said Ronald Temple, primary market strategist at Lazard.

Nevertheless, indexes stayed at a loss despite the modification. in rate-cut expectations, with some market participants mentioning. profit-taking in megacap tech and chip stocks, which have been. the primary motorists of current Wall Street rallies.

Stocks such as Amazon.com, Meta and. Microsoft were among the biggest drags out the S&P 500,. down between

0.1

% and

0.6

%. Semiconductor stocks lost

1.4

%.

The absence of corporate news recommends a sideways. trending market, which seems to be where we are right now. Strong year-to-date returns are a reason for some near-term. profit-taking, and certainly some portfolio rebalancing, said. Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth. Management.

Individually, the Commerce Department said orders for. made goods rose 0.7% in April, greater than economists'. expectation of a 0.6% increase.

Oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron. dropped 2.3% and 1.5%, respectively, as need issues weighed. on crude rates. Energy stocks led S&P 500 sectoral. declines with a

1.5

% fall.

Small-cap stocks, usually more sensitive to. economic expectations, decreased

1.2

%, while the rate-sensitive real estate sector. gotten

0.9

%.

At 12:10 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. was down 69.26 points, or 0.18%, at 38,501.77, the S&P 500. was down 24.42 points, or 0.46%, at 5,258.98, and the. Nasdaq Composite was down 74.65 points, or 0.44%, at. 16,754.02.

Among others, Bath & & Body Functions plunged 14% after a. lower revision to its quarterly earnings projection.

Axos Financial plunged 7.3% after Hindenburg. Research revealed a brief position in the lender.

Paramount Global lost 4.1% after the streaming company. stated it was checking out strategic choices or a joint venture for. the Paramount+ streaming service.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers

by

a 1.85-to-1 ratio on the NYSE

, and by

a 2.15-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq

.

The S&P index recorded

10

new 52-week highs and 4 brand-new lows, while the Nasdaq. tape-recorded

25

brand-new highs and

92

brand-new lows.

(source: Reuters)