Dow futures plunge sharply on Tuesday: 5 things to know before Wall Street opens

Copy link to section 1. The November employment report represented a critical juncture for equity markets as investors awaited fresh labor market signals. The consensus expectations among economists pointed to a significant slowdown in hiring, with nonfarm payrolls projected at just 50,000, a dramatic deceleration from September's 119,000 job additions. Simultaneously, forecasters anticipated the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.5% from September's 4.4%. Dow futures retreated Tuesday as market participants ...