U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Friday as news of an activist stake in American Express offset some of the pressure from oil's decline, following an in-line nonfarm payrolls report. In U.S. economic news, the July nonfarm payrolls report said that 215,000 jobs were added in July slightly below estimates for 223,000. The unemployment rate was 5.3 percent and average hourly earnings rose 0.2 percent, as expected. In international economic news, European stocks closed mostly lower after the U.S. jobs report, while Asian stocks ended mostly higher. Shanghai Composite closed up nearly 2.3 percent on reports of more possible support measures. The dollar turned lower after touching its highest level since the end of April, with the euro reversing to trade near $1.09. Light sweet crude oil for September delivery dropped 79 cents to $43.87 a barrel, its lowest level since March 17, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures added $4.00 to $1,094.10 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 46.37, or 0.27 percent, to 17,373.38. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 5.99, or 0.29 percent, to 2,077.57. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 12.90, or 0.26 percent, to 5,043.54.
