10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell

thenews 2013.04.01 10:58

Here's what you need to know.

Markets in Asia were mostly lower in overnight trading, with the Nikkei dropping 2.1 percent and the Shanghai Composite falling 0.1 percent. European markets are closed today. In the United States, futures point to a flat open.
Japan's Tankan survey of business conditions for manufacturers rose to -8 in the first quarter from -12 in Q4 2012, but economists had expected an advance to -7. Similarly, the outlook for manufacturers rose to -1 from -10, but fell short of expectations of a +1 index reading. For the services sector, the current conditions index rose to 6 from 4, short of expectations of an 8 reading, while the outlook index rose to 9 from 3, missing expectations of an advance to 11.
China's official manufacturing PMI rose to 50.9 from 50.1 last month, short of expectations of a rebound to 51.2 on the index. HSBC's China manufacturing PMI rose to 51.6 from 50.4, matching expectations.