By Associated Press Friday, July 3, 2009 - Added 1h ago NEW YORK - A dour report on job losses in June sent stocks sharply lower yesterday. Major stock indexes fell more than 2.6 percent after the government said the U.S. unemployment rate hit a 26-year high. The Dow Jones industrials closed at their lowest level in six weeks. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was extended until 4:15 p.m. Eastern time yesterday in order to execute customer orders impacted by system irregularities, an NYSE spokeswoman said. As investors sold off stocks amid fresh concerns about the economy, they moved into the safety of bonds, pushing Treasury yields lower. Recession-weary employers in the United States slashed 467,000 jobs in June, the Labor Department reported, far worse than the 363,000 that economists expected and a grim signal that...
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