US stocks little changed at midday after employers add fewer jobs than expected for August

The stock market is drifting sideways at midday following news that U.S. job growth slowed last month.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which moves in the opposite direction of price, fell to 2.42 percent from 2.45 late Thursday.

The Dow Jones industrial average nudged up 10 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,080 in midday trading Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose less than a point, or 0.03 percent, to 1,998. The Nasdaq fell four points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,557.

The Labor Department reported early Friday the U.S. employers added 142,000 jobs in August, ending six straight months of hiring above 200,000.