The U.S. stock market is closed Friday, April 7, for the Good Friday holiday, but the bond market will be briefly open.
Friday morning has seen the release of the monthly jobs report for March, a key piece of economic data that households, investors and industry leaders will be following for clues to how much further progress the Federal Reserve has been making in its inflation fight.
Benchmark U.S. crude oil for May delivery rose 9 cents to $80.70 a barrel Thursday. Brent crude for June delivery rose 13 cents to $85.12 a barrel.
Wholesale gasoline for May delivery fell 1 cent to $2.81 a gallon. May heating oil fell 7 cents to $2.66 a gallon. May natural gasfell 14 cents to $2.01 per 1,000 cubic feet.
U.S. stocks finish higher ahead of Friday's jobs report
U.S. stocks eked out modest gains on Thursday after a choppy...
U.S. stocks eked out modest gains on Thursday after a choppy session, helping the S&P 500 avoid a third day of losses as investors await Friday’s jobs report. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.36% gained 14.61 points, or 0.1%, to finish at 4,104.99, according to preliminary closing data from FactSet. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.76% rose by 91.09 points, or 0.8%, to 12,087.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.01% finished just 2.63 points, or less than 0.1%, higher at 33,485.35. Cash trading in stocks will be closed Friday when the March report from the Department of Labor is released. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal have a median forecast for 238,000 jobs to have been created.
The energy sector is off to a mixed to higher start, supported by mild...
The energy sector is off to a mixed to higher start, supported by mild strength in the crude complex while the major equity futures trade near the flatline. Futures tracking the benchmark S&P 500 index extended declines as stronger-than-expected weekly jobless claims data deepened fears of a recession due to a rapid rise in interest rates.
WTI and Brent crude oil futures edged higher and remain on track for a weekly gain as further production cuts targeted by OPEC+ and a drop in U.S. oil inventories overshadowed fears over global economic growth. The U.S. services sector slowed more than expected in March while U.S. job openings in February dropped to their lowest in nearly two years, putting a cap on gains.
Natural gas futures are down in early trading, pressured by forecasts for milder weather and lower heating demand over the next two weeks than previously expected.
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