US market slides as jobs report misses expectations

Disappointing employment numbers

US markets have opened sharply lower, after the latest employment data undershot analysts' forecasts.

The US added just 142,000 new jobs last month, according to the Department of Labour, will below the 201,000 predicted by analysts.  After a disappointing August, the figure mark the smallest two-month gain in US employment in over a year, though it is an improvement on the 136,000 reported the previous month. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones indices both opened 1.5% lower in early trading, falling to 1,896 and 16,023, respectively. Meanwhile, gold rallied 2% to $1137 per ounce, as investors flocked to the safe haven asset class. The latest figure casts doubts over whether the economy ...