Investing.com - U.S. stocks opened lower on Friday, as the release of disappointing U.S. employment data fuelled uncertainty over the strength of the U.S. labor market.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow 30 fell 0.17%, the S&P 500 edged down 0.19%, while the NASDAQ Composite slipped 0.12%.
In a report, the Department of Labor said that the U.S. economy added 142,000 jobs in August, less than the expected increase of 225,000. The number of jobs added in July was revised to a 212,000 increase from a previously estimated rise of 209,000.
The report also showed that the U.S. unemployment rate ticked down to 6.1% last month, from 6.2%, in line with expectations.
The data came a day after the ADP nonfarm payrolls report showed that the private sector added less jobs than expected in August, while a separate report showed that the number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week rose more than anticipated.
Clothing retailers were in focus, as Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) plunged 5.92% after posting sales below analysts’ estimates for August.
Michael Kors Holdings Limited (NYSE:KORS) saw shares dive 5.01% after saying it is holding a secondary sale of 11.6 million shares behalf of Sportswear Holdings Ltd., its largest shareholder.
In the energy sector, BP (NYSE:BP) rallied 1.18% after a U.S. judge said on Thursday that the oil and gas giant had been "grossly negligent" with regards to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Among tech stocks, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) gained 0.85% amid reports the iPhone maker plans to add new security features after the accounts of celebrities using its services were hacked and photographs of them were posted on the Internet.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 inched up 0.01%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.16%, Germany's DAX rose 0.26% lower, while Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.52%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.23%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 dipped 0.05%.