Stocks ended lower on Friday after government data showed a much larger-than-expected drop in July payrolls, providing investors with a stark reminder the economic recovery remains slow.

For the week, though, the three major U.S. stock indexes ended higher.

For the day, based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slipped 21.42 points, or 0.20 percent, to end unofficially at 10,653.56. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 4.17 points, or 0.37 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,121.64. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 4.59 points, or 0.20 percent, to close unofficially at 2,288.47.

For the week, the Dow rose 1.8 percent, the S&P 500 gained 1.8 percent and the Nasdaq advanced 1.5 percent.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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