Here are the most important news, trends and analyzes that investors need to start their trading day:
1. Relatively flat stocks after another S&P 500 record
People are seen on Wall St. outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, March 19, 2021.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
US futures were mixed on Friday, a day after modest gains led the S&P 500 to another closing record and the Dow Jones industrial average in 24 points since Monday’s record close. The Nasdaq was the real winner on Thursday, recording a 1% increase in strength in the name of technology. The Nasdaq has been below 2% since closing the record in February. Borrowing the shares, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday called the US economic recovery from the Covid pandemic “uneven” and said temporarily higher prices would not lead to worrying inflation. These comments assured investors that the ultra-accommodative monetary policies of the Covid era will not change any time soon.
2. Treasury yields exceed production price data
The 10-year Treasury yield rose on Friday, but remained below 1.7%, with a 14-month high. The bond market has been at odds with the Fed this year as traders push yields on the belief that stronger growth and inflation will force central bankers to raise short-term interest rates to near zero and reduce massive asset purchases earlier than expected. it was predicted. The Department of Labor was to launch its latest monthly analysis of inflation in producer prices at 8:30 AM ET. But the report was delayed due to an interruption of the agency’s website. Economists expect the March producer price index to rise by 0.4%, with an increase in the base rate of food and energy of 0.2%.
3. Covid cases in the US are slipping further, even as vaccinations increase
A member of the Maryland National Guard hands out numbered Post-It notes to people arriving unannounced at the mass vaccination site against coronavirus at Hagerstown Premium Outlets on April 7, 2021 in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Coronavirus cases in the US are growing much more, as infections in many parts of the world are on the rise. Even with the US vaccinating about 3 million people a day and nearly 20% of the American population completely inoculated, new daily cases of Covid and deaths were still averaging over 66,000 and nearly 1,000. In a rapidly deteriorating situation in Brazil, this country became only the third this week, after the USA and Peru, which reported a 24-hour Covid death toll that exceeded 4,000. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, emergency services have been under the greatest tension since the pandemic began.
4. Florida is suing the CDC to allow cruises to resume shipping in the United States
The Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas cruise ship is docked at PortMiami on March 2, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will file a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking cruise ships for permission to resume U.S. navigation immediately. Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain said he would like the cruise industry to be “treated in a very similar way to airlines”, which have been allowed to fly. However, Fain was optimistic about a possible resumption of US shipping in the second half of this year, citing President Joe Biden’s goal of returning the company to normalcy by July 4th.
5. Amazon’s leadership extends to the union vote at the Alabama warehouse
A representative of the RWDSU union holds a sign outside the Amazon fulfillment warehouse, in the middle of a union action on March 29, 2021 in Bessemer, Alabama.
Elijah Nouvelage | Getty Images
With about half of the ballots counted, Amazon held a leading position in the historic vote of American workers on unionization at one of the deposits of the e-commerce giant in Alabama. The count will resume on Friday. There were hundreds of contested ballots, most of which were contested by Amazon. About 55% of eligible workers in the Amazon Bessemer repository voted. For many years, major unions have been quietly talking to Amazon workers about the organization. They have faced steep challenges in the United States, where none of the company’s warehouses are organized. Trade unions are common among the Amazon workforce in Europe.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow all market actions like a pro CNBC Pro. Get the latest pandemic news with CNBC’s coronavirus blog.