At the close on Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average had lost 0.5 percent, the broad S&P 500 index 0.4 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index 0.3 percent.
Investors took note, among other things, of the latest figures from the country's Labor Department, released on Friday, which showed that 162,000 new jobs were created outside the agricultural sector in the United States, more than expected.
Market interest rates rose in the wake of the figures, which could prompt the Fed to raise interest rates at its next meeting, which takes place in a couple of weeks.
