"Wall Street's Rollercoaster: Stocks Slide, Rally Falters, Job Openings Drop"

U.S. stocks closed lower as investors assessed fresh employment data, with private payrolls rising less than expected in November, indicating a cooling jobs market. This reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve may begin cutting interest rates early next year. Energy stocks declined, dragging down major indexes, while oil prices dropped 4% due to concerns about fuel demand. The S&P 500 ended down 0.39%, the Nasdaq fell 0.58%, and the Dow slid 0.19%. Campbell Soup shares rose after beating quarterly profit expectations, while Plug Power fell on a Morgan Stanley downgrade.