U.S. stock futures fall after China data

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

Stock-index futures track moves lower for overseas equities and falling commodity prices, after China factory data reveal a sharp slowdown in activity. See full story.

U.S. jobless claims fall 5,000 to 348,000

Applications for weekly unemployment benefits set a new four-year low, the government reports Thursday, in another sign that the U.S. labor market continues to gradually improve. See full story.

FedEx profit surges on strong holiday shipping

FedEx Corp.�s fiscal third-quarter earnings more than doubled from a year earlier in a period the company said hosted record holiday package shipping. See full story.

Stocks to watch Thursday: Sturm Ruger, Luby�s

A handful of profit updates stand out among the corporate headlines of interest to investors early Thursday. See full story.

Europe stocks slip after weak PMI data

Most European stock markets trade lower Thursday, led by banks and resource firms, as Chinese factory slowed sharply in March, while weak euro-zone PMI-data fueled fears of a recession See full story.

MARKETWATCH COMMENTARY

Instead of acknowledging that banks have become a part of government, we keep pretending they are private institutions, writes David Weidner. See full story.

MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE

Looking for great summer travel deals? The trick to finding vacation-season savings is to know where the deals are (think Florida and Spain) and to know when to find them (shop for tickets and fly midweek). See full story.