<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><div>Key points:<ul><li>Indexes down: Dow 0.14%, S&amp;P 500 0.32%, Nasdaq 0.41%</li><li>Nike rises after surprise quarterly revenue growth</li><li>September ADP jobs report softer than expected</li></ul></div>By Niket Nishant and Sukriti Gupta The main U.S. stock indexes declined on Wednesday as investors digested soft private payrolls data, while a federal government shutdown risked delaying economic data, heightening the uncertainty around the central bank's next policy move.Traders sharply increased bets on a 25-basis-point rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve at its next meeting after the ADP National Employment Report showed private payrolls dropped the most in two-and-a-half years in September.The labor market is walking a tightrope because data needs to be soft enough to support rate cuts, yet robust enough to avoid stoking fears of a broader economic slowdown.&#34;ADP may, for the first time, be a closer indicator of the true level of employment,&#34; said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group.&#34;The Trump administration's policies are trying to transition a lot of the job growth out of the public sector into the private sector.&#34;At 10:08 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 62.56 points, or 0.14%, to 46,335.33, the S&amp;P 500 lost 21.64 points, or 0.32%, to 6,666.82, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 93.94 points, or 0.41%, to 22,565.63. Communication services shares on the S&amp;P 500 fell 1.5%, dragged by losses in Meta Platforms and Alphabet , which shed 2.8% and 1.1%, respectively. The stocks also weighed on the Nasdaq.The S&amp;P 500 tech sector lost 0.4%, with Nvidia down 0.9%. The healthcare sector hit a more than five-month high and was last up 1.4%. Moderna and Regeneron both rose more than 6.3% and were among the top performers on the benchmark index. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNAdding to the uncertainty was the deep partisan rift in Washington that led to a federal government shutdown.While shutdowns have not derailed markets historically - the S&amp;P 500 rose during each of the last six government shutdowns, according to a note from Deutsche Bank - the current one coincides with elevated stock valuations and a fragile mood. Prolonged shutdowns also amplify risks. In the seven instances when they lasted 10 or more days, the S&amp;P 500 fell four times and rose thrice, according to data from Vanguard. The nonfarm payrolls report, scheduled for release on Friday, will now likely be delayed.Another data point showed U.S. manufacturing edged toward recovery in September, although new orders and employment were subdued. Bank of Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin is scheduled to speak later in the day.In stocks, Nike rose 3.4% a day after reporting surprise revenue growth in the first quarter.AES gained 13.3%, topping the S&amp;P 500 after the Financial Times reported on Tuesday that BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners was nearing a $38-billion deal to acquire the utility group.GE Vernova declined 2.1% after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the power-equipment maker's rating to &#34;sector perform&#34; from &#34;outperform&#34;. Corteva said it would separate its seed and pesticide businesses into separate publicly traded companies. Its shares were down 7.2%, at the bottom of the S&amp;P 500. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.12-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.06-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&amp;P 500 posted 17 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 57 new highs and 33 new lows. </div></div></div>

U.S. stock indexes fell on Wednesday, with the Dow down 0.14%, S&P 500 down 0.32%, and Nasdaq down 0.41%, as investors reacted to disappointing private payroll data and concerns over a potential government shutdown delaying economic reports. The ADP report indicated the largest drop in private payrolls in two-and-a-half years, increasing speculation of a 25-basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Nike shares rose 3.4% after reporting unexpected revenue growth, while AES gained 13.3% amid acquisition news. The upcoming nonfarm payrolls report is likely to be delayed due to the shutdown.

Wall St falls as government shutdown risks economic data delays