NEW YORK – Stocks declined for a second straight session Thursday as Wall Street grew nervous ahead of the government’s November jobs creation report and its implications for the health of the overall economy.
The skittishness came despite upbeat news from the Labor Department, which said, as expected, that the number of newly laid off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell last week by the largest amount in six months. A spike in jobless claims last week stirred concern among investors that perhaps the economy was losing steam too quickly. Fluctuations tend to be wider around the holidays and Friday’s Labor Department report should provide some clarity about the labor market.
