Stocks Start 4Q Modestly Lower as Private Sector Adds More Jobs

U.S. stocks are starting the fourth quarter lower. The ADP data showed private employers added slightly more jobs in September than expected. The report showed the addition of 213,000 jobs versus estimates of 205,000. The private-payrolls report comes before the much-watched government jobs report Friday. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is a stock to watch in today's trading. A federal judge warned the bank could face a class-action lawsuit from investors who claim they were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities they were sold just before the financial crisis. U.S. auto sales for September will roll in all day Wednesday. Chrysler was the first to report sales topping expectations showing an increase of 19%. General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) will also report September auto sales throughout the day.