Stocks are mostly lower in midday trade; oil price slips

Investors continue to weigh the implications of potential interest rate changes around the world, with the European Central Bank meeting tomorrow to discuss increasing its stimulus program and the Federal Reserve meeting in two weeks to most likely raise interest rates.

Economists forecast that U.S. employers created 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate remained steady at 5 percent.

Unless the November employment figures are extraordinarily weak, investors believe the Fed will raise interest rates this month, from record low levels, for the first time since the financial crisis.

In Europe, investors expect the European Central Bank will move in the opposite direction and expand its stimulus program when policymakers meet on Thursday, either by expanding its bond purchases or by cutting interest rates further.

Oil and gas companies followed crude oil lower, making it by far the worst performing part of the market.

The company's stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, worth $30 billion, makes up the vast majority of Yahoo's overall market cap of $33.6 billion.