ISM and Retail Data Lifted Stocks

April 1, 2026 at 21:00 UTC

3 min read

Stock market chart showing US and European equities rising on strong ISM and retail data

Key Points

Firmer ISM manufacturing and a sharp ISM Prices jump signaled stronger input-cost pressures and pushed near-term Treasury yields higher.
Stronger retail sales and ADP private payrolls reinforced growth resilience and trimmed market-implied odds of near-term Fed easing.
Risk sentiment improved, lifting US benchmarks and driving European bourses higher amid ECB lending-data releases; industrials led sector gains while energy lagged.
MicroAlgo's reported profit surge prompted buying and re-rating interest, while Tilray's EPS miss and beverage weakness pressured its shares.

Global Market Summary

US benchmarks closed higher: the S&P 500 (SPX) rose 0.72%, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) led gains up 1.16% and the Dow (DJIA) added 0.48% as firmer ISM and retail prints supported risk sentiment. European bourses outperformed, with the DAX (DAX) up 2.73%, the CAC (FRA40) +2.10% and the FTSE (UKX) +1.85% amid ECB lending-data releases and stronger demand signals. Asia index data were unavailable in the feed.

Top Movers

Industrials led sector gains: XLI (1.67%), VGT (1.28%) and XLB (0.98%) advanced while Energy lagged with XLE (-3.74%). Notable stock movers included RGC (+32.60%), CAR (+16.75%), KOD (+12.30%) and FSLY (+11.34%); leading decliners included RH (-19.29%), AXTI (-17.36%) and NKE (-15.51%).

Macro highlights

ISM Manufacturing PMI for March printed 52.7% and the ISM Prices Index jumped to 78.3%, signaling firmer input-cost pressures that point to upside inflation risk and upward pressure on near-term Treasury yields. US Retail Sales for February rose 0.6% and ADP private payrolls added 62,000 in March, reinforcing growth resilience and trimming market-implied odds of near-term Fed easing.

News that moved markets

Tilray (TLRY) reported record Q3 revenue and narrowed its GAAP net loss, but shares traded down roughly 4% intraday as investors weighed an EPS miss and beverage-segment weakness. MicroAlgo (MLGO) reported a 143.5% increase in 2025 net profit, a surprise flagged as likely to prompt buying and re-rating of the Nasdaq-listed stock. Meiwu Technology (WNW) announced a 1-for-100 reverse split effective April 6, which is expected to raise quoted per-share price, tighten float and alter options and short-interest dynamics around the effective date. Several transactions closed today, notably Fulton Financial's completion of Blue Foundry Bancorp and OneStream's $6.4 billion sale to Hg, alongside smaller completed deals including QNB/Victory Bancorp, WTW/FlowStone, Venus Concept, Roto-Rooter and Heidelberg Materials/BURNCO assets. Announced deals included the BKF/MNS merger and Liventus' acquisition of Tamarack.

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AU Balance of Trade (FEB) — consensus A$2.5B vs A$2.631B prior, Apr 02, 12:30 AM | Indicates external demand and net exports contribution to growth.

Key Takeaways

US benchmarks closed higher as firmer ISM and retail prints supported risk sentiment, with the Nasdaq leading gains.
European bourses outperformed amid ECB lending-data releases and stronger demand signals.
Industrials led sector gains while Energy lagged; notable stock movers included RGC, CAR, KOD and FSLY, with RH, AXTI and NKE among decliners.
Corporate headlines included MicroAlgo's profit surge, Tilray's mixed quarter, Meiwu's 1-for-100 reverse split and multiple closed and announced M&A deals.