On Monday, April 1st, the U.S. stock markets ended mixed; the Dow and S&P 500 dipped due to concerns over the timing of Fed rate cuts, spurred by strong manufacturing data raising Treasury yields. In economic data, February saw the headline annual inflation rate, as tracked by the PCE, increase to 2.5% as forecasted, from January’s 2.4%, amid higher-than-anticipated personal spending. Monthly inflation eased to 0.3%, but personal spending surged by 0.8% to $145.5 billion, exceeding expectations. March’s ISM manufacturing PMI exceeded expectations at 50.3, and U.S. construction spending fell by 0.3% in February. Most sectors of the S&P 500 saw declines, particularly real estate, healthcare, and utilities, which were among the hardest hit. In contrast, the energy sector experienced gains buoyed by rising crude ...