The benchmark S&P 500 and S&P/TSX Composite indexes ended lower in choppy trading on Thursday after a short-lived boost from a string of U.S. economic reports faded and investors eyed key jobs data due on Friday. The Nasdaq finished slightly higher but the Dow also lost ground.
Markets were edgy ahead of the release of the comprehensive U.S. nonfarm payrolls data – which will likely set the stage for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting rates later this month. Canada also releases August jobs data Friday.
Early in the session, indexes gained as U.S. reports helped allay concerns of labour market deterioration. The Institute for Supply Management survey showed services sector activity expanded in August while other data showed weekly jobless claims declining last week.
But another report found U.S. private employers hired the fewest workers since January 2021 in August and data for the prior month was revised lower, potentially hinting…
