Wall Street heads lower as investors assess latest data

Most US stock indices lost ground as markets assess latest US data and await the crucial payrolls report tomorrow.

Earlier data showed the US private sector added just 99 thousand new jobs in August, the slowest pace since January 2021, while analysts expected the addition of 140 thousand new jobs. 

Other data showed employee layoffs surged 193% m/m in August to 75.9 thousand from just 25.9 thousand in July.

US unemployment claims fell by 5 thousand to 227 thousand in the week ending August 31, while analysts expected a larger drop to 225 thousand. 

On trading, Dow Jones fell 0.9% as of 17:48 GMT, or 380 points to 40,596, while S&P 500 shed 0.5%, or 26 points to 5494, as NASDAQ dipped 0.1% to 17,100.