Stocks were near session lows on Thursday, with major indexes down more than 2 percent, as jitters about a larger-than-expected fall in nonagricultural payrolls overshadowed a rise in a measure of future industrial output.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shed 173.22 points, or 2.04 percent, to 8,330.84. . The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 20.71 points, or 2.24 percent, to 902.62. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 48.30 points, or 2.62 percent, to 1,797.42.