After a weak jobs report sank the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Before opening, however, Dow futures were trading down about 0.3%, as European elections sent a strong message against austerity. The French took to the streets to celebrate the ouster of incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, replacing him with Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, who has advocated for more stimulus measures to encourage growth, as opposed to the austerity packages favored by Germany. In parliamentary elections in Greece, voters punished the ruling parties, but with a split vote, no single party will be able to form a government, creating more uncertainty over the future of the still-teetering economy. If the parties cannot form a coalition government, a new round of elections could come in as soon as a few months from now.
Worldwide markets were in the red. Asian indexes were down sharply overnight with the Hang Seng and the Nikkei dipping more than 2.5%. In Europe, the German DAX dropped nearly 0.5%, and the French CAC 40 edged up in late trading. British markets were closed due to a holiday.
Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway's
Turning to domestic news, at the CTIA wireless show in New Orleans, AT&T
Two earnings reports of particular interest to Foolish investors come out today.
Natural-gas watchers will want to look out for Clean Energy Fuels'
With 46% of shares sold short, medical-device maker MAKO Surgical
Finally, one economic report will be released today at 3 p.m.: the Consumer Credit report, which rarely affects markets, as it has a one-month lag and follows most other consumer spending reports. The market is expecting March consumer debt to total $11 billion, following $8.7 billion in February.
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