US markets slip despite better weekly jobless claims data

06 Apr 2012 Evaluate

The US markets made a mixed closing on Thursday, as investors weighed Europe’s debt crisis against positive weekly claims data ahead of Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report for March. The Labor Department reported claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 6,000 to 357,000 last week. Applications for US unemployment benefits fell slightly last week and remained at a four-year low. The government stated that 357,000 people filed new claims in the week ended March 31, down from an upwardly revised 363,000 in the prior week. Claims from two weeks ago were initially reported at 359,000. The more stable four-week average declined to 361,750 from 366,000. However, despite the shadow of rising gasoline prices, shoppers went out to spend in March and answered to an earlier arrival of Easter, warmer weather and a brighter and fresher spring assortment. That delivered retailers’ sales upside for the 13th time in the past 15 months, with total March comparable sales rising 3.9%, topping the 3.3% gain, according to Retail Metrics. Also, Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report from the Labor Department is projected to show an increase of 210,000.

Though there was some other concern,  Egan-Jones Ratings Company cut the US credit rating one step to ‘AA’, the second downgrade in nine months and two levels below its highest grade, with a negative outlook citing the nation’s increasing debt burden. US debt has increased to 100 percent of gross domestic product, while debt climbed 23.6 percent from 2008 to 2010, the credit-rating firm stated. Egan-Jones lowered the US grade to AA+ in July. The downgrade was based on the increasing debt load coupled with the fact that there has been no tangible progress in addressing the country’s growing debt to GDP.

In Europe, UK manufacturing production unexpectedly fell and German industrial output decreased more than estimated in February and rising bond yields rattled investors. France raised €8.4 billion from a bond sale at slightly higher borrowing costs. The Bank of England retained the benchmark interest rate at its record low level of 0.50% and maintained the size of its bond purchases unchanged at £325 billion.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower by 14.61 points, or 0.11 percent, at 13,060.10. The S&P 500 lost 0.88 points, or 0.06 percent, at 1,398.08, while the Nasdaq was up by 12.41 points, or 0.40 percent, at 3,080.50.

Indian ADRs mostly closed in green on Thursday, HDFC Bank was up 0.44%, Infosys Technologies was up 0.42%, Tata Motors was up 0.26% and ICICI Bank was up 0.16%. On the flip side, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was down 0.06%.

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×