Dow Jones Today: DJIA Stumbles on Subpar Jobs Data as Unemployment Creeps Higher

The Dow Jones (DJIA) is down by over 1% on Friday as investors digest a disappointing jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Claim 70% Off TipRanks Premium

• Unlock hedge fund-level data and powerful investing tools for smarter, sharper decisions

• Stay ahead of the market with the latest news and analysis and maximize your portfolio’s potential

The labor market received another warning signal after nonfarm payrolls fell by 92,000 in February, well below the consensus estimate of 55,000 additions. In addition, the BLS revised January’s jobs lower by 4,000 to 126,000 and December’s figure down by 65,000 to -17,000. With the revisions, the U.S. hasn’t added a single job on a net basis since May 2025.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate reverted to 4.4%, above the estimate of 4.3%. The rate was 4.4% in December before edging lower to 4.3% in January. A higher unemployment rate could cause Americans to curb their spending, leading to lower gross domestic product (GDP).

That effect could already be factoring into the economy, as U.S. retail sales fell by 0.2% month-over-month in February. The retail sales control group, which excludes several volatile categories and flows into goods spending for GDP, rose by 0.3% and was in line with the estimate.

Elsewhere, President Trump demanded Iran’s surrender on the seventh day of the conflict. “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” he said in a Truth Social post. Earlier this week, he told Axios that he personally needs to be involved in the selection of the country’s next leader, “like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.”

The Dow Jones is down by 1.37% at the time of writing.

Which Stocks are Moving the Dow Jones?

Let’s pivot to TipRanks’ Dow Jones Heatmap, which illustrates the stocks that have contributed to the index’s price action.

All stocks in the tech, consumer cyclical, financial, healthcare, materials, energy, and communication services sectors are trading lower on Friday in response to the weak jobs report. Rising oil prices have also pressured business-to-consumer stocks like Amazon (AMZN), Home Depot (HD), and Nike (NKE).

Still, Boeing (BA) is in the green after Director Mortimer Buckley disclosed an insider purchase worth $499,966. The aircraft manufacturer also received praise from Jim Cramer, who said that BA stock “should be bought, plain and simple.”

Is the Dow Jones a Good Long-Term Investment?

The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) is an exchange-traded fund designed to track the movement of the Dow Jones. As a result, DIA is falling alongside the Dow Jones today.

Wall Street believes that DIA stock has room to rise. During the past three months, analysts have issued an average DIA price target of $569.47, implying upside of 20.11% from current prices. The 30 holdings in DIA carry 30 buy ratings, zero hold ratings, and zero sell ratings.

Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue