• The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 6.43 points, or 0.03 percent, to 20,951.47, the S&P 500 gained 1.39 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,389.52 and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.79 points, or 0.05 percent, to 6,075.34.
Wall Street ended flat on Thursday as a steep fall for the energy sector countered some solid earnings reports, with major stock indexes closing little changed after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a healthcare overhaul.
• The House on Thursday afternoon narrowly voted to repeal major portions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and replace it with a Republican healthcare plan, sending it to the Senate for consideration.
• Asian stocks are set for a third straight day of losses on Friday as a retreat in crude oil and other commodities prices knocked global sentiment, although receding concerns about France's presidential election kept the euro near six-month highs.
• MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS opened flat on Friday. Japan .N225 and South Korea .KS11 markets are closed for trading.
• Commodity prices across the board tumbled, led by oil CLc1, which fell by 5 percent in overnight trading on concerns of a supply glut with analysts forecasting further losses.
• Traders also remained cautious ahead of Friday's U.S. government payrolls report, following March's underwhelming 98,000 figure. Economists on average expect 185,000 jobs were created in April. ECONUS
Reference: Reuters
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