Participants were cautious and happy to sit on the sidelines leading into the Easter long weekend.
In US economic data, Feb durable goods orders dropped a seasonally adjusted -2.8% MoM (mkt est -3%).
The March U.S. employment report and other key economic numbers next week could help U.S. stocks resume their recent winning path as long as that data hits the sweet spot: Not strong enough to add to worries about further interest rate hikes, yet not weak enough to cause concern about a recession.
Material variations in aircraft orders influenced the durable figures (Boeing received only 2 orders in Feb compared to 68 in Jan). US jobless claims rose 6k last week to 265k (mkt est 269k)
The Markit flash US services PMI improved to 51.0 in March (mkt est 51.4).
St Louis Fed Reserve President James Bullard said "the next rate increase may not be far off provided that the economy evolves as expected".
In Europe, equities fell sharply led by further losses in the energy and mining sectors.
Reference: MKS News, Reuters
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