Stocks ended modestly higher Thursday, rebounding from an early decline and taking back some of the ground lost in a steep two-day selloff as investors awaited a look at September jobs data amid rising fears of an economic slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose around 124 points, or 0.5%, to end near 26,202, according to preliminary figures, while the S&P 500 advanced around 23 points, or 0.8%, to finish near 2,911. The Nasdaq Composite closed near 7,872, up around 87 points, or 1.1%. The Labor Department will release September employment figures Friday morning. Economists polled by MarketWatch, on average, look for nonfarm payrolls to show a rise of 147,000, while the jobless rate is forecast to hold steady at 3.7%, just above a 50-year low.
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