MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks Move Lower After Strong ADP Data

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock investors continued to sell their assets pushing priced lower on Wednesday after stronger-than-expected data on private-sector hiring once again raised concerns that the Federal Reserve may start tightening policy sooner.

Private employers added 213,000 new jobs in September and many view the report as a proxy for the non-farm payrolls data due on Friday. Investors await readings on manufacturing, and car-sales numbers.

The S&P 500 (SPX) fell 7 points, or 0.3%, to 1,965.27. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) dropped 43 points, or 0.3%, to 16,992.97. The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) shed 18 points, or 0.4%, to 4,475.10.

Wall Street stocks on Tuesday limped through the last day of trading for the month and third quarter after a mixed bag of economic data. The S&P 500 lost 1.6% last month, but eked out a 0.6% gain over the third quarter.

An appreciating dollar (USDJPY) could propel U.S. stocks to fresh gains, a report in The Wall Street Journal forecast. Investors will be looking for companies that could benefit from a stronger dollar, such as consumer-focused companies like airlines or retailers, Scott Migliori, chief investment officer for U.S. stocks at Allianz Global Investors, told the WSJ.

The dollar (USDJPY) tapped the 110-yen level for the first time since 2008 in Asia, after weak retail sales in Australia pushed that country's currency lower against the dollar, causing a ripple effect and the dollar/yen jump.

Eyes on ADP, manufacturing: Private-sector hiring picked up slightly in September, marking the sixth consecutive month of above-200,000 job gains, according to data released Wednesday. Economists will use this data as a guide leading up to Friday's nonfarm-payrolls report, where expectations are for a gain of 220,000 jobs.

At 10 a.m., the Institute for Supply Management will release its reading for the month. Economists aren't expecting robust readings from either report.

Data on construction spending for August is scheduled for publication at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

Autos and biotechs: Auto makers will report car and truck sales throughout the day. Expectations are for sales to slow to an annual 16.5 million last month, from 17.5 million in August.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. (TKMR) surged 21% after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first known Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S.

Other companies working on treatments for the deadly virus also were active in early trading: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX) rose 4%, Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (SRPT) rose 4.8%. Also read: U.S. Ebola case boosts drug makers working on treatments

Other markets: Oil prices(CLX4) staged a moderate recovery, after a selloff on Tuesday that pushed prices to their lowest in more than a year. Gold prices(GCZ4) ticked up.

Supermarkets were under pressure on the FTSE 100 after sales fell at Sainsbury PLC and U.K. regulators announced a probe into Tesco PLC over its accounting practices. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was slightly lower.

The Nikkei 225 index eased, while Hong Kong and Chinese markets were closed for a holiday. Pro-democracy rallies spread further across Hong Kong on Wednesday, which had some worried about the demonstration escalating.

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