国际油价重挫！美股道指连跌三月，啥情况？

Core Viewpoint - International oil prices experienced a significant drop, influenced by signals from Saudi Arabia indicating a willingness to accept lower oil prices, alongside disappointing U.S. economic data [1][12]. Economic Data Summary - The ADP report indicated that U.S. private sector employment increased by only 62,000 in April, the smallest gain since July 2024, significantly below the expected 115,000 and the previous month's 155,000 [5]. - Average wages grew by 4.5% year-over-year, slightly slowing from March, while job switchers saw a wage increase from 6.7% to 6.9% [7]. - The U.S. GDP contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3% in Q1, a stark contrast to the average growth rate of about 3% over the past two years, attributed to companies stockpiling imports to avoid rising costs [7]. Stock Market Performance - On the last trading day of April, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 141.74 points (0.35%) to 40,669.36, while the Nasdaq Composite fell by 14.98 points (0.09%) to 17,446.34, and the S&P 500 increased by 8.23 points (0.15%) to 5,569.06 [3][4]. - For April, the Dow and S&P 500 both recorded declines of 3.17% and 0.76%, respectively, marking their third consecutive month of losses, while the Nasdaq saw a slight increase of 0.85% [4]. Oil Market Dynamics - International oil prices saw a sharp decline, with Brent crude dropping nearly 4% and WTI crude falling over 4% during trading [1][9]. - Saudi Arabia's potential policy shift suggests a move towards increasing production and expanding market share, moving away from previous strategies of significant production cuts [12]. - OPEC+ announced an increase in production by 411,000 barrels per day starting in May, which is higher than market expectations, indicating a flexible approach to adjust production based on market conditions [12][13].