U.S. stocks settled lower on Friday, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 200 points during the session following a disappointing jobs report.
Nonfarm payrolls grew by a meager 22,000 in August, after July's weak 79,000 and a June revision showing a 13,000 job loss — the worst since 2020. The three-month hiring pace has collapsed to 29,000, locking in expectations for Fed rate cuts in September, October and December.
