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Alsharq Tribune-Otaify
U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a sharper-than-expected decline in job openings for November 2025, underscoring a gradual cooling in labor demand.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.94 percent to 48,996.08. The S&P 500 fell 0.34 percent to 6,920.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 0.16 percent to 23,584.28.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed lower, with utilities and industrials leading declines of 2.46 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. Health care and communication services outperformed, rising 1.01 percent and 0.79 percent, respectively.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed U.S. job openings falling to 7.15 million in November, the lowest level in over a year, from a revised 7.45 million in October and well below economists' forecasts.
"You're not seeing a dynamic labor market," ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said Wednesday, commenting on the payroll processor's separate report indicating subdued private-sector hiring.
Energy shares continued to face pressure as oil prices extended Tuesday's losses after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan authorities would transfer 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned oil to the United States.
Meanwhile, real estate investment trusts with exposure to single-family rentals in the United States tumbled after Trump stated that he was taking steps to "ban large institutional investors from buying more" of such properties, citing their role in driving up housing costs for average U.S. people.
Invitation Homes, the nation's largest single-family home landlord, plunged 6.01 percent, while Blackstone and Apollo Global Management both fell more than 5 percent.
In the semiconductor space, Nvidia rose 1 percent while AMD declined 2.02 percent, after both companies unveiled new AI computing platforms at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Intel surged 6.47 percent to lead gains in the Nasdaq.
