To: Jill who wrote (6974 ) 4/27/2000 8:51:00 AM From: Jill Respond to of 8096
* In the major Asian markets, equities nearly stalled ahead of today's US economic data. Investors in Japan were also leery of the NASDAQ Composite's performance in the near-term further, which added pressure on stocks. The Nikkei lost 0.6% to 18,019.2. Hong Kong's market also closed weaker, though select buying in blue chips tempered the losses. The Hang Seng slipped 0.2% to close at 15,193. * The European Central Bank raised short-term interest rates by 25 basis points, as analysts widely expected. The major European Bourses remained steady ahead of the ECB's interest rate announcement. In Germany, the DAX has lost 0.3% to trade at 7,369, flipping in and out of negative territory all session. Trading is also light in the UK, as investors prepare for the US economic data as well. The FTSE has edged 0.2% higher to 6,269, while in France, the CAC40 has dropped 0.7% to 6,349. * Following this morning's strong US employment cost data, the S&P Futures plunged 21.5 points. Fair Value is at negative 4.5 points. At the current level, the Futures will have a sharply negative influence on the market's open. * The government reported the preliminary figures on the 1Q growth domestic product (GDP). GDP rose 5.4%, below the Thomson Global Markets consensus estimate for a 6.0% rise. While the rise in GDP was below analysts' expectations, the strong gain indicates the economy continues to surge ahead. * The Employment Cost Index (ECI) rose 1.4% rate in 1Q, ahead of the 1.0% rise in 4Q99. Economists had expected a 0.9% rise in the ECI. The stronger than expected increase in employment costs will fuel fears that the Federal Reserve will continue raising interest rates, as rising employment costs are a key component of inflation. Benefit costs surged 2.0%, the strongest rise in five years. Wages and salaries increased 1.1%. * The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims for the week ending April 22 rose to 283,000 filings well ahead of analysts' expectations for first-time claims to slip to 256,000 from the previous week's 257,000 filings. * At 10:00 AM, the March Help Wanted Index will be released. As there is no consensus estimate for this index, investors will compare today's results with February's reading of 88. * At 1:00 PM, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will speak at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Conference. Participants will carefully monitor Greenspan's speech for any reference to the equity market or indications of a tightening interest rates.