Stock Slide in Early Trading

Stocks were off to a dismal start in the final trading day in what has been a volatile week for Wall Street as traders considered recent data regarding employment figures and continuous developments on Europe’s debt crisis.

As of 9:32 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 96 points, or 0.8%, to 11,953, the S&P 500 dropped 10.4 points, or 0.83%, to 1,251 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 20.1 points, or 0.74%, to 2,679.

The U.S. economy and a torrent of headlines from Europe have been the focus of market watchers this week.  The much-anticipated report released by the Labor Department this week revealed that the economy added 80,000 jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate down to 9%. Economists had expected the economy to add 95,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1%. Details included in the report were the addition of 104,000 by the private sector, while the government shed 24,000.

The Federal Reserve has kept short term interest rates at historical lows, and implemented unconventional easing programs, in an effort to stimulate hiring, but the labor market has remained sluggish since the financial crisis in 2008.  The jobless rate is only 10.1 percentage points lower than its recent 2009 peak, and well above than levels that are considered to be the so-called “natural” level of unemployment.

Headlines from Europe have commanded the market for the last few days of trading, where policymakers are scrambling to staunch the worsening debt crisis before it spreads to larger economies.  The markets have reflected the timbre of the news from Europe, where the Dow plunged nearly 600 points in the first two sessions only to gain close to 400 points in the following two.
Friday the G-20 is concluding its summit, during which world leaders have been grappling with fears that the European debt crisis could plunge the entire global economy into peril.  Market anxiety was heightened when German Chancellor Angela Merkel said few G-20 countries have consented to participate in the region’s bailout fund. More statements are expected throughout the course of the trading day.
Furthermore, Greece’s embattled Prime Minister George Papandreou faces a confidence vote on Friday after his plans to hold a national referendum on the country’s much needed bailout incited fury and tumult across the globe, and quashed credibility in his government.

A much-anticipated IPO, Groupon priced its initial public offering at $20 a share Thursday night, significantly above than the $16 to $18 initially expected.  The local deals company is poised to commence trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market Friday morning and is considered one of the highest profile online IPOs of the year.

The euro rose 0.08% to $1.38, while European blue chips climbed 0.47%.  the English FTSE 100 jumped 0.88% to 5,595 and the German DAX gained 0.09% to 6,139.
In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei 225 rallied 1.9% to 8,801 and the Chinese Hang Seng soared 3.1% to 19,843. Yields on U.S. government debt were little changed.  The 10-year Treasury note yields 2.082% from 2.079%.
Energy markets were higher, and the benchmark American crude oil contract rose 2 cents, or 0.02%, to $94.7 a barrel.  Wholesale RBOB gasoline gained 2 cents, or 0.68%, to $2.66 a gallon. Gold fell $7.20, or 0.41%, to $1,758.