Dow, S&P 500 end lower as investors await Friday’s jobs report

U.S. stocks closed mostly lower on Thursday, ahead of the release of Friday’s employment report for July, with investors hoping it will provide insights into whether America’s roaring labor market is exhibiting signs of cooling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.26% fell about 85 points, or 0.3%, ending near 32,727, a day after all three major stock indexes booked their best daily climb in a week, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 index SPX, -0.08% shed 0.1% Thursday, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.41% rose 0.4%. Employment gains in July are expected to drop to 258,000 from 372,000 in the prior month, a poll of economists by The Wall Street Journal estimates. If so, it would mark the smallest increase since December 2021. While a potential U.S. economic downturn and layoffs in tech have been a focus, Meta Platforms Inc. META, +1.05%, the parent of Facebook, was seeing success on Thursday with its debut 4-part corporate bond deal.