NEW YORK (voa) – U.S. stocks closed mixed Thursday despite new U.S. government reports of a rise in factory orders and a drop in unemployment in March.
The Dow Jones Industrial average was up 32 points to 10,092, but the broad market indicator, the Standard & Poors 500, was down two points to 1,085. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 33 points (nearly two percent) to 1,645.
European share prices were also mixed on Thursday. In London, the Financial Times Index ended the day up 49 points (nearly one percent) at 5,174, but in Paris the CAC 40 Index was down 41 points (nearly one percent) at 4,422. The Dax Index in Frankfurt was 77 points lower (1.5 percent) at 4,965.
New York gold closed at $308.60 an ounce, down 80 cents. The dollar was higher against the other major currencies
European Central Bank’s Key Interest Unchanged
The European Central Bank has kept its key interest rate unchanged at 3.75 percent, an indication that Europe’s economy is not growing as fast as expected after shrinking in the final three months of last year.
Last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the central bank should not reverse last year’s four rate cuts until the economic recovery has become more firmly established.
Meanwhile, the Swiss central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates Thursday to try to lower the value of the franc. The Swiss currency’s strength recently has made Swiss exports more expensive. Switzerland generates almost half its economic growth by selling goods in other countries.
