Morning traders. Thanks loungers, especially @Ravgnome and @Patterns.
Outlook for the day: Mildly negative. Mixed leads mean limited futures moves heading into the Easter long weekend.
ASX futures: down seven points or 0.1%
Overnight themes:
- Wall Street's main indices finish mixed as weak economic data sharpens recession fears.
- The Nasdaq falls for a third day. The S&P 500 also ends lower. The Dow bucks the trend as traders favour larger, defensive stocks best placed to weather a downturn.
- Private payrolls increase much less than expected, adding to concerns about a slowing labour market after Tuesday's soft job vacancies data. Payrolls +145,000 in March, vs expectations for +210,000.
- Separate report shows services sector activity slowed more than expected.
- Utilities, healthcare, consumer staples and energy rise. All other sectors retreat. Growth and industrial stocks fall hardest.
S&P 500: down 10 points or 0.22%
Dow: up 80 points or 0.24%
Nasdaq: down 129 points or 1.07%
Dollar: down 0.58% to 67.2 US cents
Iron ore: down 0.8% to US$117.80
Brent crude: up five US cents or 0.1% to US$84.99
Gold: down US$2.60 or 0.1% to US$2,035.60
NYSE Arca Gold Bugs: up 0.35%
Copper (LME): up 0.32% to US$8,779
Nickel (LME): down 2.39% to US$22,500
Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF: down 0.79% (3rd straight fall)
BHP: down 0.39% (US); down 0.72% (UK)
Rio Tinto: down 0.12% (US); down 0.55% (UK)
