The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 62 points to finish at 13,206.59 Thursday ahead of the much-anticipated April jobs report.
The Nasdaq lost 35.55 points to end at 3,024.30 while the S&P 500 lost 10.74 points to close at 1,391.57.
While investors waited out the key April jobs report, the Labor Department provided a bit of teaser when it said weekly unemployment claims declined by 27,000 claims to a seasonally adjusted 365,000 claims, the largest dip in nearly a year and much better than the 380,000 claims most economists had predicted.
The comprehensive April unemployment figures will be released Friday.
Here are some more details from Thursday’s trading session:
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
- Down two consecutive trading days and three of the last four.
- Down 72.73 points, or 0.55% (rounded), over the two-day period.
- Largest two-day points and percentage decline since April 19, 2012.
- Largest one-day points and percentage decline since April 23, 2012.
- Hit an intraday high of 13284.09 occurred at 09:52:54 today, representing an increase of 15.52 points, or 0.12%.
- Hit an intraday low of 13175.64 occurred at 14:49:32 today, representing a decrease of 92.93 points, or 0.70%.
- Seven of the 30 component stocks rose, 23 fell.
- Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: PG (4.01), KO (2.12), DIS (2.04), T (0.53), VZ (0.30).
- Today's bottom five laggards: CAT (-14.83), CVX (-7.87), IBM (-6.21), HPQ (-5.83), UTX (-4.84).
- Lowest closing value since April 26, 2012.
- Down 6.76% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 101.72% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 4.95% (rounded) from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 6.85% from its 2012 closing low of 12359.92 on January 06, 2012.
- Down 0.55% (rounded) from its 52-week high of 13279.32 on May 01, 2012.
- Up 23.94% from its 52-week low of 10655.30 on October 03, 2011.
- Year-to-date: up 8.10%.
- DJIA crossed zero 20 times during today's trading session.
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:
14434.34*, down 132.29 points, or 0.91%, or $158 billion in market capitalization
- Down two consecutive trading days and three of the last four.
- Down 157.14 points, or 1.08%, over the two-day period.
- Largest two-day points and percentage decline since April 16, 2012.
- Largest one-day points decline since April 13, 2012.
- Largest one-day percentage decline since April 23, 2012.
- Lowest closing value since April 24, 2012.
- Down 8.33% (approximately $2.4 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 112.27% (approximately $8.8 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 3.28% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 9.30% from its 2012 closing low of 13206.64 on January 04, 2012.
- Down 2.07% from its 52-week high of 14740.15 on April 02, 2012.
- Up 27.75% (rounded) from its 52-week low of 11299.07 on October 03, 2011.
- Year-to-date: up 10.87%, or approximately $1.6 trillion in market cap.
Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.