Investors Clear Out Ahead Of Election Cliffhanger -- U.S. Commentary

(RTTNews) - U.S. stocks were lower Friday, unable to sustain early gains despite a halfway decent jobs report.

Falling crude oil prices and concerns about the outcome of next week's U.S. presidential election kept investors in a cautious mood.

Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 12.04 points, or 0.24%, to close at 5,046.37. The S&P 500 fell 3.39 points, or 0.16%, to close at 2,085.27. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 40.54 points, or 0.23%, at 17,890.86.

It was a rough week on Wall Street as Donald Trump's resurgence in the polls made for trepidation about the prospects of a real shake-up in Washington.

For the week, Dow fell 1.5%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.9% and the Nasdaq lost 2.8%.

The S&P 500 was down for ninth straight session today, longest losing streak since 1980.

Employment growth in the U.S. remained tepid in October, according to figures released by the government on Friday.

The number of jobs added in the month was lower than expected, though figures for previous months were revised higher.

The U.S. Labor Department said the economy added 161,000 jobs in October. Economists had expected a figure of around 178,000 jobs.

December WTI crude fell 59 cents, or 1.3%, to settle at $44.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, for the lowest settlement since September 20.