However, a mid-morning ISM manufacturing index slid to just above the critical break-even reading and further than investors were braced for indicating a further stall in economic activity even if only in the less important sector.
In overnight news, Spanish 10-year bond yields poked above the critical 6% level Thursday, as the European Union sovereign debt crisis continues to fester.
As I have mentioned in this space during the past couple of weeks, the VIX is trading at a critical level--just above its 80-week moving average and around the highs of 2007-2008.
On the European Union debt crisis front, an Italian bond auction was well-subscribed Tuesday, but yields were still at or above the critical 7% level that is deemed in the danger zone for credit default.