While you were sleeping: central banks stimulus boost

Wall Street gave up some earlier gains as concern about weak US economic data outweighed the reassurance that global central banks remain more committed than ever to bolster growth.

Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda began his term with a larger-than-expected boost to kick-start the Asian nation's economy, including plans to buy 7 trillion yen ($US73 billion) of bonds a month.

"This is an unprecedented degree of monetary easing," Mr Kuroda told reporters, according to Reuters. "We took all available steps we can think of. I'm confident that all necessary measures to achieve 2 percent inflation in two years were taken today."

The yen sank more than 3 percent against the greenback, posting a similar loss against the euro.

"They eased a lot more than anticipated," Vassili Serebriakov, a foreign-exchange strategist at BNP Paribas in New York, told Bloomberg News. "It's a much more aggressive move than the investors expected. Markets weren't necessarily positioned for this."

In Frankfurt, European Central Bank president Mario Draghi pledged support for the eurozone economy after its meeting of policymakers today. While the ECB kept its key rate steady, as expected, Mr Draghi says it was "ready to act".

"Weak economic activity has extended into the early part of the year and a gradual recovery is projected for the second half of this year, subject to downside risks," he told reporters. "Against this overall background our monetary policy stance will remain accommodative for as long as needed."

The Bank of England also maintained its rate and asset purchase programme.

In the US, the latest data on the labour market was in line with this week's weak reports. Jobless claims unexpectedly rose in the week ended March 30, climbing 28,000 to 385,000, the highest since November.

"What we do know is that the growth momentum has slowed, employment has slowed. The question is how much?" Millan Mulraine, a senior economist at TD Securities in New York, told Reuters.

The monthly payrolls report, due tomorrow, is expected to show employers created 200,000 jobs in March, keeping the unemployment rate at 7.7 percent.

In afternoon trading in New York, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index slipped 0.06 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.18 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a 0.04 percent gain.

In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index finished the day with a 1.1 percent drop from the previous close. Benchmark stock indexes in Frankfurt, Paris and London closed 0.7 percent, 0.8 percent and 1.2 percent lower, respectively.

(BusinessDesk)