Stocks Ended Lower on Global Growth Concerns

U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday, extending their losing streak to five straight sessions, after a lackluster jobs report and a sharp drop in Chinese exports heightened worries around the global economy’s health. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.99 points, or 0.09%, to 25,450.24. The S&P 500 was down 5.86 points, or 0.21%, to 2,743.07. The Nasdaq Composite declined 13.32 points, or 0.18%, to 7,408.14. For the week, the Dow was down 2.2%, the S&P declined 2.2%, and the Nasdaq fell 2.4%.

Oil futures finished lower Friday as a downbeat employment report from the U.S. and trade data from China reinforced worries about global economic growth and energy demand. April West Texas Intermediate crude declined by 59 cents, or 1%, to settle at $56.07 a barrel. May Brent crude lost 56 cents, or 0.8%, to $65.74 a barrel.

American businesses and other employers created the fewest new jobs in February in 17 months, the latest sign of a broader slowdown in the U.S. economy. The economy added just 20,000 new jobs last month, the smallest gain since September 2017, the government said Friday.

China’s exports fell sharply last month, adding to headwinds for the world’s second-largest economy as officials struggle to arrest a slowdown. Exports tumbled 20.7% from a year earlier in February, after jumping 9.1% in January, according to data from the General Administration of Customs released Friday.

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