EUROPE

• France

  Unemployment has risen for the 11th straight month. In Mar 2012 unemployment rose to 2.88m.

• Spain

  Standard & Poor’s has cut Spain’s credit rating 2 notches to BBB+, on concern that Spain’s economy will contract 1.5% in 2012 (rather than the forecast 0.3% growth) and the concern that Spain’s government will need to borrow to support its banking sector (based on IMF advice earlier this week). Spain’s unemployment rate is now 24.4%, up from 22.9% in Dec 2011.

USA MARKET

Commodities

• Gold Futures (Jun): up $18.20 to $1,661/oz
• Oil Futures (WTI LSC Jun): up $0.43 to $104.55/barrel.

Treasury yields

• 30-year: 3.12%
• 10-year: 1.95%
• 5-year: 0.83%

US market indices

• S+P 500: 1,399 +0.63%
• DJIA: 13,205 +0.87%
• NASDAQ: 3,051 +0.69%

Tech stock news

• LinkedIn [NYSE:LNKD] has introduced a free iPhone and iPad app [More].

PORTFOLIO

• NASDAQ

  • Apple [AAPL] $607.70 -0.38%
  • Amazon [AMZN] $195.99 +0.81%. Amazon rose 14.39% to $222.40 in post market trading following its Q1 earnings report and Q2 guidance.
  • Google [GOOG] $615.47 +0.94%

• NYSE

  • Linkedin [LNKD] $105.24 +2.32%
  • VMware [VMW] $110.92 +3.96%

AUSTRALIAN CURRENCY

Portfolio valuation rate (USD/AUD): 1.0460