World stocks fell on Wednesday, following the release of bleak data on employment and the United States services sector. The data underlines the uncertainty about prospective economic recovery from recession.
A survey by payrolls firm ADP shows the private sector shed 371,000 jobs in July, sharply lower than the preceding month but more than expected amid a severe and long recession.
Another report, by the Institute of Supply Management, shows the services sector contracted unexpectedly in July after moving closer to growth in the prior three months.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 39.22 points, or 0.42%, to 9280.97 in final trades. The Nasdaq composite lost 18.26 points, or 0.91% to 1993.05.
Standard & Poor's 500 shed 2.96 points, or 0.29%, to a provisional close of 1002.69.
European shares also ended lower on the back of the US data. In London, the FTSE 100 closed at 4647.13 points, down 24.24 or 0.52%. In Frankfurt, the DAX index ended at 5353.01 points, down 64.01 or 1.18%. In Paris, the CAC-40 index closed at 3458.53 points, down 17.84 or 0.51%.
