US stocks end mixed ahead of jobs report

New York -Wall Street stocks finished mixed on Tuesday as investors digested August's gains in equities ahead of closely-watched central bank and labour market news later this week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 30.89 points to 17 067.56.

The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 1.09 to 2 002.28, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 17.92 to 4 598.19.

"The market needs to rest" after the Dow and S&P 500 both gained more than four percent in August, according to Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital.

Analysts are looking ahead for news on additional possible monetary stimulus from Thursday's European Central Bank meeting. Friday's US jobs report could also move the market, analysts said.

Dow component Home Depot dropped 2.0% after the home improvement chain disclosed it was investigating a possible attempt to hack its computer systems that may have targeted customer data.

Oil companies, including ExxonMobil (-1.0%), Apache (-1.6%) and Chevron (-1.5%), fell as oil prices retreated to multi-month lows on demand concerns.

Some leading cyber security stocks were lifted by growing concerns about data security. Splunk rose 11.1% while FireEye jumped 8.5%.

Norwegian Cruise Line bolted 11.1% higher after it announced plans to acquire Prestige Cruise International for $3bn. The purchase gives Norwegian major holdings in the luxury-cruise business.

Conn's, a retailer specialising in appliances and furniture, sank 30.9% after it projected full-year earnings of $2.80 to $3.00 per share, well below the $3.54 analyst forecast.

Conn's said the lower outlook reflects higher customer delinquencies. The company pledged to tighten its underwriting requirements.

Dollar General gained 0.6% as it sweetened its bid for rival Family Dollar and threatened to launch a hostile takeover campaign if Family Dollar does not relent.

Family Dollar rose 0.5%, while Dollar Tree, whose takeover bid has been accepted by Family Dollar, gained 1.6%.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury jumped to 2.42% from 2.34% on Friday, while the 30-year advanced to 3.17% from 3.08%. Bond prices and yields move inversely.