DJI- NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures closed lower on Friday in brief, holiday-thinned trading after a much weaker-than-expected report on U.S. job growth for March.
Trading volumes were light because of the Good Friday holiday and market closings in Europe. S&P 500 futures fell 1.2 percent, suggesting a weak open on Monday as the cash market is closed Friday.
U.S. payrolls grew by 120,000 in March, worse than the forecasted gain of 203,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dipped to 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in February. [ID:nL2E8F5338]
The weak payrolls report could renew hopes for more monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve. This week's release of minutes from its March meeting suggested less of an appetite for more stimulus despite committee members expressing worries about the sluggish pace of U.S. growth.
U.S. equities have rallied sharply in recent months, gaining nearly 30 percent since early October to push the S&P 500 near four-year highs. The market has stalled in the last few weeks as investors question the swiftness of the gains and whether economic data is strong enough to warrant higher stock prices.
S&P 500 futures fell 16.20 points to 1374. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.1 percent, or 31.25 points, to 2722.75 in thin trading. Dow futures dropped 137 points, or 1.1 percent, to 12,841.
FCPO- SINGAPORE, April 6 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures rose to a near 13-month high on Friday, as traders continued to bet on strong demand ahead of key industry data due next week.
Palm oil recorded its best weekly performance since December with an almost 5.0 percent gain in response to a damaging South American drought and U.S. data showing farmers will plant less
soy, shifting demand for the tropical oil.
soy, shifting demand for the tropical oil.
"The USDA report was the main driver. So far palm oil exports have also been holding up quite well, and the next official data on the 10th (of April) will be another key," said James Ratnam, an analyst with TA Securities in Malaysia.
"Market players are still worried about stocks, and hopefully demand has grown strong enough to offset any increase in stocks."
Benchmark June palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange closed 1.3 percent higher at 3,604 ringgit ($1,165) per tonne after going as high as 3,607 ringgit, a level not seen since March 9 last year.
Traded volumes were thin at 18,810 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared to the usual 25,000 lots, as most financial markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday.
