国际英语新闻：U.S. stocks slump on disappointing job, manufacturing reports

NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks tumbled on Thursday, as investors digested weak job numbers and manufacturing expanded at a lower pace than expected.

    The U.S. Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to a seasonally adjusted 551,000 from 534,000 in the previous week. Economists had expected an increase of 5,000. The reading showed the job market remains weak.

    Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management showed that its factory gauge decreased to 52.6 last month from 52.9 in August, trailing previous estimates.

    Major indexes tumbled even as the Commerce Department said consumer spending in August rose 1.3 percent, the largest amount in nearly eight years and incomes edged up 0.2 percent.

    The Dow Jones lost 203.00 to 9,509.28. Broader indexes also fell sharply. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 27.23 to 1,029.85 and the Nasdaq declined 64.94 to 2,057.48.