US stocks moved lower Friday after a jobs report seen as pivotal to expectations for interest-rate cuts showed much stronger hiring growth than expected.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) shed 0.2%, coming off a lackluster session Thursday for the three major gauges. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped around 0.4%.
Investors have lifted stocks on the expectation that further data would suggest an economic cooldown. But the Labor Department report offered more evidence that parts of the economy are too hot for the central bank’s fight against inflation, feeding into a narrative of keeping rates higher for longer.
The highly anticipated May jobs report reinforced the idea that pulling back rates from their two-decade high likely won’t come until the Fall.
The US economy added 272,000 jobs in May, smashing expectations. However, the unemployment rate did tick higher, rising to 4.0%.
Read more: How does the labor market affect inflation?
Elsewhere in markets, the wait is also on for a livestream apparently promised by GameStop (GME) booster Keith Gill, aka “Roaring Kitty.” The event, scheduled for noon ET Friday, would be the first live YouTube appearance by Gill since he helped ignite the meme stock rally three years ago.
GameStop shares closed 47% higher on Thursday, but they dropped sharply after the video game retailer said it would sell up to 75 million shares and said sales declined in the first quarter.
Also on deck is the completion of Nvidia’s (NVDA) 10-for-1 stock split, expected after the market closes. A midweek rally briefly vaulted the AI chipmaker to a $3 trillion valuation, but its shares have lost steam as short bets against the company pile up.
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