By Jonathan Cheng And Donna Kardos Yesalavich
Stocks finished slightly lower as investors braced for the government’s monthly payrolls report on Friday morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 5.45 points, or 0.05%, to close at 10674.98, after spending much of the trading day deeper in negative territory.
Investors searched for clarity on the sustainability of the economic recovery ahead of Friday’s employment data, with Thursday’s data offering only conflicting messages. Weekly initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose while retailers reported mixed July same-store sales.
“It seemed like some optimism had been creeping into the market this week, which was dissipated by this morning’s jobless claims number,” said Tom Samuels, managing director for Palantir Investments. Mr.
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