Dow closes nearly 200 points lower ahead of Friday’s key jobs report 
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell on Thursday, relinquishing some of the big gains seen in the prior session as investors awaited jobs data coming Friday that could determine the pace of the Federal Reserve’s future rate tightening. 
The 30-stock index dropped 194.76 points, or 0.56%, to close at 34,395.01. The S&P 500 closed down 0.09% to 4,076.57, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.13% to end at 11,482.45. 
Costco dropped about 6.6% after November sales slowed to 5.7% from an increase of 7.7% in October, an ominous sign during the peak holiday selling season. The wholesale retailer also reported a 10.1% decline in e-commerce sales during the period. 
Okta,the identity management software provider’s stock surged more than 23% after the company shared a better-than-expected outlook and topped Wall Street’s estimates for the recent period. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 gained 0.76% and notched a six-month high. Tech stocks advanced, while oil and gas names struggled. 
Source: CNBC, Investing.com