Dow set to keep sliding after a big two-day selloff

The Dow is set to open lower once again on Thursday following a two-day selloff in which the Dow fell more than 800 points.

Stocks recorded their worst day in more than five weeks Wednesday, after worse-than-expected economic data painted a bleak picture of the US economy.

The Dow and the S&P 500 ended the third quarter modestly higher but have erased those gains in just a couple days.

The selling pressure seems to have abated some on Thursday.

Rutures are mixed. Dow futures are down 40 points, or 0.1%. Futures for the broader S&P 500 are flat and those for the Nasdaq Composite are up 0.1%.

Thursday’s economic data includes a look at America’s services sector, with the Institute of Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index and the Markit services PMI. So far, manufacturing has been the sector hit hardest by the on-going trade war with China and slowing global demand.

Investors will be particularly attuned to Friday’s jobs report. So far, US consumers have kept the economy growing in part thanks to a strong jobs market. Investors are now nervously looking for cracks in that foundation.

New developments on the trade front haven’t swayed markets much.

The United States plans to impose import tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European-made goods as soon as October 18. The new tariffs follow a ruling against the European Union by the World Trade Organization, saying that Airbus was improperly subsidized.