(MENAFN- AFP) US stocks dropped Friday, following European equity markets lower, after a mixed jobs report and another decline in oil prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 170.50 points (0.95 percent) to 17,737.37, concluding a volatile week in which the blue-chip index registered triple-digit moves all five days.
The broad-based S&P 500 fell 17.33 (0.84 percent) to 2,044.81, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 32.12 (0.68 percent) at 4,704.07
The US economy added a solid 252,000 jobs in December, but analysts expressed worries at weak wage growth. Hourly earnings were up only 1.7 percent from a year ago, just keeping up with inflation.
Equity markets in Britain, France and Germany all fell at least one percent, in part due to disappointment over the size of potential stimulus reportedly being considered by the European Central Bank.
Oil prices fell to their lowest point since April 2009, as the US contract finished at $48.36 a barrel.
Several oil-linked stocks fell. Dow component Chevron sank 2.0 percent, while oil-services company Schlumberger lost 1.8 percent and drilling company Transocean shed 1.0 percent.
Chemicals giant DuPont lost 1.4 percent after investment firm Trian said it would launch a proxy battle to win four seats on the board of directors. Trian is led by prominent investor activist Nelson Peltz.
Bed Bath & Beyond, a retailer of home goods, slid 6.8 percent as earnings for the third quarter fell five percent to $225.4 million.
Coffee giant Starbucks lost 3.3 percent as it announced that veteran executive Troy Alstead, currently chief operating officer, was taking an "extended unpaid leave" from the company.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury fell to 1.96 percent from 2.01 percent Thursday, while the 30-year dropped to 2.54 percent from 2.59 percent. Bond prices and yields move inversely.
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