Private employers shed jobs at an accelerating rate and the nation's service sector contracted sharply in November, according to a pair of private reports released today, evidence that the recession may still be deepening. The Dow Jones industrial average fell by triple digits at the opening bell but by midmorning was flat, down 50 points. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was also flat, down 3 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was flat, up 2 points. Payroll processor ADP in its monthly employment report estimated that private businesses shed 250,000 jobs in ... (more)