U.S. stocks open lower after jobs report

U.S. stocks opened mildly lower Friday as Wall Street assessed a mixed set of jobs data.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 151,000 in January, well below market expectation of 188,000.

The unemployment rate, however, edged down to 4.9 percent in January, dipping below 5 percent for the first time since 2008.

In January, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 12 cents to 25.39 U.S. dollars, in contrast with market estimates. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.5 percent.

Analysts said the mixed jobs report adds little clarity about the health of the U.S. economy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. goods and services deficit came in at 43.4 billion dollars in December, up 1.1 billion dollars from November and on par with market expectations, the Commerce Department announced Friday.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 13.56 points, or 0.08 percent, to 16,403.02. The S&P 500 fell 5.88 points, or 0.31 percent, to 1,909.57. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 19.50 points, or 0.43 percent, to 4,490.06.

On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed mildly higher after wavering between gains and losses, as Wall Street meditated on a batch of weaker-than-expected economic reports. Endi