EU stock exchanges and Wall Street closed for Good Friday. US jobs beat expectations: unemployment falls to 4.3%
Markets take a breather as the US jobs report beats estimates, the data are useful in trying to guess the Fed's next moves. In Asia, Tokyo closes on a solid rise
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Markets are taking a break on Good Friday. Bourses remain closed both in Europe and on Wall Street, even asb>better-than-expected labour data arrive from the US. The US gained 178,000 jobs (excluding agriculture) in March compared to the previous month, while analysts had expected an increase of 59,000. The unemployment rate fell from 4.4 % to 4.3 %, against expectations for a stable figure of 4.4 %.
Wall Street little moved on eve with rise in crude oil
Volatile session and weak closing on eve on Wall Street. President Donald Trump threatened Iran again and said thewar will go on, driving up oil prices. While stating that the US is "very close" to ending the war with Iran, Trump added that they will hit Tehran "extremely hard". "In the next two or three weeks, we will take them back to the stone age, where they belong," said the president, who then, again, called on Tehran to reach an agreement, "before it's too late". His statements triggered a surge in oil prices: the Wti closed up by USD 11.42, over 11%, at USD 111.54 per barrel, the largest absolute increase since 2020.
The Dow Jones lost 61.07 points (-0.13%), the S&P 500 gained 7.37 points (+0.11%), the Nasdaq closed up 38.23 points (+0.18%). Gold lost $131.70, or 2.75 per cent, to $4,651.50 an ounce, for a weekly close up 3.54 per cent. Euro down 0.42% to $1.1542. Bitcoin down 1.52% to $67.069.
Good energy stocks in WS, down airlines
On the equities, the rise in oil prices weighed: up sharply were energy stocks, such as Apa (+1.7%), Occidental Petroleum (+1.2%), Diamondback Energy (+1.7%), ConocoPhillips (+1.7%) and Chevron (+0.8%); In sharp decline, on the other hand, airline and cruise stocks, with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line dropping between 2.3% and 3.5%, and Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines losing between 1.2% and 3%. Tesla's stock gave up 5.4%, after first quarter deliveries fell short of expectations. Tesla reported 358,000 vehicles delivered in the period, down 14% from the previous quarter, but up 6.3% from a year earlier. After falling sharply on Wednesday (-15%), Nike's stock lost 1% on the eve of trading, following the publication of a negative outlook, which forecasts a 20% drop in sales in China.
Tokyo closes positive thanks to metals and electronics
The Tokyo Stock Exchange closed on an upward trend, attempting a partial rebound after a thud on the eve of trading. The Nikkei index rose 1.26% to 53,123.49 points, buoyed by buying in electronics and metals stocks, with investors remaining focused on assessing developments in the Middle East. Mitsubishi Electric advanced 2.9% and Mitsui Kinzoku 6.3%.
