(News Bulletin 247) – The New York Stock Exchange moved generally on a note of weakness on Wednesday, against a backdrop of economic indicators below expectations: the Dow Jones gained more than 0.2% to 33,483 points, but the Nasdaq Composite fell nearly 1.1% to 11,997 points.

According to the monthly survey published by ADP, the American private sector created only 145,000 jobs in March, a figure well below consensus and a marked slowdown compared to the 261,000 in February.

“The labor market is beginning to find its balance, while consumer demand is falling and borrowing costs are increasing,” explained the firm specializing in human resources management.

Other signals of private sector weakness in March, the S&P Global composite PMI was revised down one point to 52.3 and the ISM services index fell to 51.2 last month from 55. ,1 in February.

These data suggested that economic activity in the United States was tending to slow down, which could jeopardize the scenario of a ‘soft landing’ for growth so dear to investors.

On the equity side, Johnson & Johnson stood out by jumping 4.5%, on the announcement of an agreement by which the health group agreed to pay 8.9 billion dollars in the file of poisoned talc to the ‘asbestos.

Among other values ​​in sight, FedEx advanced 1.5% after a consolidation of almost all of the operating subsidiaries of the logistics group within a single holding company in order to generate more efficiencies.

Conagra gained 1.8%, following an increase by the agri-food group in its adjusted EPS targets for the 2022-23 financial year, on the occasion of the publication of solid results for its third accounting quarter.

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