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The S&P 500 set a record closing high on Thursday, finishing a fifth consecutive month of gains to extend a four-year rally. The Dow industrials, which surpassed its 2007 record on March 5 and has set a series of record highs since then, ended Thursday's session at yet another nominal closing high - at 14,578.54. For the day, the Dow rose 52.38 points, or 0.36 percent. The Nasdaq Composite added 11 points, or 0.34 percent, to close at 3,267.52.


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China's factory sector grew at a faster pace in March, led by solid improvement in new orders and production, according two separate surveys released on Monday. The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) and the National Bureau of Statistics said that the official purchasing managers' index, that measures the performance of the manufacturing sector, rose to 50.9.

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Confidence among Japanese businesses improved in the March quarter as weaker yen boosted expectations of an economic recovery, the quarterly Tankan survey showed Monday. The survey is closely watched by the Bank of Japan for formulating policies. The sentiment index for large manufacturers rose to -8 in the March survey, up from -12 in the December survey.

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Oil, Copper and Silver Decline as Asian Economic Data Weighs on Risk Appetite
Gold May Come Under Pressure if ISM Manufacturing Data Surprises to the Upside

WTI Crude Oil (NY Close): $97.23 // +0.65 // +0.67%
Prices are pulling back from resistance at 97.67, the 123.6% Fibonacci expansion. Near-term support is at 96.55, the 100% expansion, with a break beneath that eyeing a formerly broken falling trend line at 96.08. Alternatively, a reversal above resistance aims for the 138.2% Fib at 98.36.

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Activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded at a much slower than expected rate in the month of March, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Monday.

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After reporting a notable drop in U.S. construction spending in the previous month, the Commerce Department released a report on Monday showing that construction spending rebounded by slightly more than expected in February.

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The monetary base in Japan jumped 19.8 percent on year in March, the Bank of Japan said on Tuesday, standing at 134.741 trillion yen.

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The Reserve Bank of Australia is on Tuesday scheduled to conclude its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The RBA is widely expected to keep rates on hold at 3.00 percent.

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After reporting a notable drop in U.S. construction spending in the previous month, the Commerce Department released a report on Monday showing that construction spending rebounded by slightly more than expected in February. The report said construction spending rose 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $885.1 billion in February from the revised January estimate of $874.8 billion.

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Activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded at a much slower than expected rate in the month of March, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Monday. The ISM said its purchasing managers index fell to 51.3 in March from 54.2 in February, although a reading above 50 indicates continued growth in the manufacturing sector.

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