Wall St ends lower as investors weighed stimulus hopes and bleak jobs data

After both touched fresh record highs earlier in the session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 68.95 points, or 0.22%, at 30,991.52 while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 16.31 points, or 0.12%, to 13,112.64. The S&P 500 lost 14.3 points, or 0.38%, to close at 3,795.54.

NEW YORK: Wall Street closed lower on Thursday after making a u-turn toward the end of the session as reports emerged about U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's pandemic aid proposal following earlier data that showed a weakening labor market.

The Labor Department's weekly jobless report showed the number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, underscoring the impact of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.