U.S. stocks deepened losses in the morning session Friday after two days' big rally, as investors were pondering over the December jobs report.
At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 140.39 points, or 0.78 percent, to 17,767.48. The S&P 500 fell 14.16 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,047.98. The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 27.76 points, or 0.59 percent, to 4,708.42.
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 252,000 in December, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 5.6 percent, topping analysts' estimates, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday.