Markets: The market fell in March, except the NASDAQ, which was supported by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft’s gains. The S&P and DOW rose for the 6th straight quarter, buoyed by resurgent corp. Q4 profits, which rose over 22%.
Dividend Stocks Update: These high dividend stocks go ex-dividend this coming week: DX (NYSE:DX), WSR (NYSE:WSR), KRG (NYSE:KRG), BKS (NYSE:BKS), KCAP (NASDAQ:KCAP), PSO (NYSE:PSO), LOAN (NASDAQ:LOAN), WDR (NYSE:WDR), CIO (NYSE:CIO).
Volatility: The VIX fell 4.6% this week, finishing at $12.37.
Currency: The dollar fell vs. most major currencies in March, except the New Zealand dollar.
Market Breadth: 11 of the DOW 30 stocks rose in March, and 42% of the S&P 500 rose.
US Economic News: Pending Home Sales jumped 5.5%, vs. a 2.4% forecast. Consumer Confidence rose to 125.6, highest since year 2000. Q4 GDP was revised upward to 2.1%.
Week Ahead Highlights: It’ll be another big data week, with the Non-Farm Payrolls report and Unemployment Rate due out on Friday. We’ll also get a look at Consumer Credit and March Auto sales. The Auto Sales forecast is for 17 million-plus new vehicles.
Next Week’s US Economic Reports:
Sectors & Futures: Tech led in March, and leads year to date, while Financials trailed for the month. (If you’re looking for more good Utilities high dividend stocks, there’s another one in our Sunday Seeking Alpha article.)
Natural gas futures led in March, up nearly 12%, while WTI crude fell -6.7%:
