Stocks slipped on Thursday as Wall Street awaited the key jobs report and dissected a slew of economic data ahead of it. Meanwhile, the possibility of an Israeli retaliatory attack against Iran’s oil facilities sent oil soaring for a third day.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) dropped almost 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.4%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) finished just below the flatline.
Some calm has returned to a market rattled by escalating Mideast tensions that have driven sharp gains in oil prices. Israel has yet to launch its promised retaliation to Iran’s missile strike on Tuesday amid efforts by Western and regional leaders to stabilize the situation.
But the burgeoning crisis helped drive oil prices higher for a third day. Brent crude (BZ=F) and West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) futures both gained more than 5% following comments from President…
