Daily summary: US stocks edge higher after bumpy ride

• European indexes end lower after volatile session
• US stocks swing wildly between gains and losses
• NFP report tops expectations

European bourses finished today's session lower due to concerns regarding higher inflation and mixed economic data. Orders for German industrial goods jumped by 1.4% in January, easily beating analysts’ expectations, and French exports and imports are approaching  their pre-pandemic levels. However, Italian retail sales fell sharply in January, due to coronavirus-induced restrictions. DAX 30 lost 1%, CAC40 dropped 0.8% and FTSE100 finished 0.3% lower.

US indices erased early losses and are trading higher, with S&P 500 rose 1.2% after shedding 1% earlier. The Nasdaq inched up nearly 1.0% and Dow Jones climbed 1.2%. Better-than-expected NFP figures showed that US economy added 379K jobs in February, way above market estimates of 182K. Unemployment rate  fell slightly to 6.2% from 6.3%, suggesting  that hiring speeds up. US indices bounced off their lows as bond yields retreated from their session highs. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield returned to 1.56% after popping above 1.6% to hit a 2021 high following NFP data.

WTI crude rose more than 3.5% and is trading slightly above $66.00 a barrel, while Brent is trading 3.80% higher around $69.30 a barrel. Goldman Sachs has raised its Brent price forecast by $5 to $75 per barrel in the second quarter and $80 per barrel in the third quarter of this year, while UBS raised its forecast for Brent to $75 per barrel. Elsewhere gold is trading flat around $1,700.00 / oz, after briefly touching support at $1,686/oz, while silver fell 0.4 % to $ 25.20 / oz  in reaction to upbeat NFP report. Precious metals are facing downward pressure on the back of the persistent sentiment favoring the dollar, which is in turn supported by higher US yields.

US500 – index fell sharply earlier in the session however sellers failed to break below major support at 3720 pts and buyers regained control. Next index broke above the local resistance at 3785 pts and if the current sentiment prevails upward move could be extended to the 3850 pts handle which is strengthened by 200 SMA (red line). Source: xStation5