U.S. stocks opened lower on Friday after government data showed many more jobs were lost in September than economists anticipated, casting doubts about the pace of recovery from a deep recession.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 64.24 points, or 0.68 percent, to 9,445.04. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 8.99 points, or 0.87 percent, to 1,020.86. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 12.40 points, or 0.60 percent, to 2,045.08.

(Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

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