Japan -1.22%.
China -0.14%. China March Caixin Services PMI 57.8 (expected 55, prior 55 ).
Hong Kong -0.42%.
Australia -0.36%. Australia February trade data: Exports -3% m/m (prior +1%) & Imports -9% m/m (prior +5%).
India +0.29%. India’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate, or its policy repurchase rate, at 6.50%, defying expectations for the Reserve Bank of India to hike 25 basis points.
Overnight in the U.S., the Nasdaq Composite recorded a third straight losing session, shedding 1.07%, while the broad-based S&P 500 dipped 0.25. The index ended 1.07% lower at 11,996.86 points, its first close under the 12K mark in a week. The benchmark S&P 500 slipped 0.25% to settle at 4,090.38 points. The Dow eked out gains of 0.24% to close at 33,482.72 points.
New Zealand data – ANZ’s index of comodity prices +1.3% m/m in March (prior +1.3%).
Traders will be looking ahead to Friday’s jobs report. As it is Good Friday, it will be a market holiday, but not a federal holiday.
Oil fell on Thursday as weak U.S. economic data raised concerns over a potential global recession and demand reduction, but benchmark prices were headed for a weekly advance after OPEC+ announced further output cuts and U.S. oil stocks dropped.
Brent crude futures fell 74 cents, or 0.9%, to $84.25 a barrel by 0344 GMT. West Texas Intermediate U.S. crude slid 73 cents, also 0.9%, to $79.88 a barrel.
Gold prices slipped from one-year highs on Thursday as the dollar regained some ground, while investors awaited the U.S. non-farm payrolls report to gage the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy strategy.
Spot gold was down 0.5% at $2,011.18 per ounce, as of 0334 GMT, after hitting its highest since March 2022 on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $2,028.40.
Spot silver shed 0.8% to $24.78 per ounce, platinum rose 0.4% to $1,001.43 and palladium fell 0.2% to $1,426.18.
US futures lower. Dow Jones -0.08%; S&P 500 -0.19%; Nasdaq -0.34%.