The relative calm on Wall Street ended Thursday as stocks fell suddenly in the final hour of trading Thursday. The major indexes each fell more than 2.5 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which dropped 216 points. Investors appeared to be demonstrating their fears that Friday's employment report would show a further deterioration in the job market. Employers have already cut 1.2 million jobs this year through October, leaving the unemployment rate at a 14-year high of 6.5 percent. Economists expect the U.S. Labor Department will report that the jobless rate rose to 6.8 percent in November and that companies cut another 320,000 jobs. Before Thursday, stocks had closed higher in seven of the previous eight sessions. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 215.45, or 2.51 percent, to 8,376.24. Broader stock indicators also declined. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 25.52, or 2.93 percent, to 845.22, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 46.82, or 3.14 percent, to 1,445.56. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 14.23, or 3.14 percent, to 439.53. The New York Stock Exchange composite fell 173.29 to close at 5,232.26. The American Stock Exchange composite fell 75.25 to close at 1,241.28. The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil for January delivery fell $3.12 to $43.67
