Wall Street Loses Ground Monday        12/04 09:30

   Stocks slipped on Wall Street Monday ahead of some key reports this week on 
the job market that might provide more insight into the Federal Reserve's 
thinking about interest rates.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks slipped on Wall Street Monday ahead of some key 
reports this week on the job market that might provide more insight into the 
Federal Reserve's thinking about interest rates.

   The S&P 500 was off 0.7%. The index is coming off its best month in more 
than a year and reached its highest level in more than a year on Friday.

   The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 102 points, or 0.3%, to 36,139 as of 
10:01 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 1%.

   Treasury yields were higher, putting some pressure on stocks. The yield on 
the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, rose to 4.26% from 4.21%.

   Technology companies were among the biggest weights on the market. Microsoft 
fell 2.9% and Apple fell 1.1%.

   Spotify surged 9.6% after announcing its third round of layoffs for the 
year. Uber gained 5.6% on news that the ride-hailing service is joining the S&P 
500.

   Alaska Air Group slumped 16.8% after announcing it will buy Hawaiian 
Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal, a tie-up that would test the Biden 
administration as it is fighting consolidation in the airline sector.

   Wall Street is coming off a solid week and a strong November on hopes that 
inflation is easing enough to allow the Federal Reserve to close out its 
aggressive rate hike plan. Investors are also hoping that the economy remains 
strong enough to avoid a recession.

   Investors will get several key updates on the economy this week, including 
reports on the services sector and the jobs market.

   U.S. crude oil prices fell 1.3%.