Key points:
Stocks turn mostly lower Dow wipes out 300 points Nasdaq ends in green area
US economy added 64,000 new jobs in November but the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6%.
📉 Dow Slides on Soft Labor Signals
The Dow Jones Industrial Average 
DJI fell about 300 points as delayed jobs data painted a softer picture of the US labor market. Traders didn’t panic, but they definitely flinched. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.2%, showing this was more of an old-economy wobble than a tech-led shake-up. Flat October retail sales added to the caution, hinting that consumers may finally be feeling the slowdown.
👷 Jobs Up, Unemployment Too
The economy added 64,000 jobs in November, beating expectations, but the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, higher than forecast. Not exactly a victory lap. A broader underemployment measure, tracking part-time workers wanting full-time jobs, jumped to a four-year high, raising concerns about labor quality, not just quantity. October data was revised sharply lower, with job losses driven largely by shrinking federal payrolls after the government shutdown.
🧮 Why Markets Care
Rising unemployment suggests cooling demand, which can pressure the incoming earnings cycle even if headline job growth stays positive. That’s what spooked Dow traders. The messy data reflects disruptions from the US government gridlock, leaving investors with a foggy view of real labor conditions. This said, markets are stuck interpreting “good-but-not-great” numbers – strong enough to avoid recession talk, weak enough to keep rate-cut hopes alive.