Dow Jones closes flat; CBOE VIX slips below 13

The US equity markets finished narrowly mixed as investors hesitated to jump in after the recent rally, but the S&P 500 rose to touch a fresh all-time high. The CBOE volatility index ended below 13.

The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 5.07 points to close at 14,968.89. Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index increased 3.08 points to close at a record 1,617.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 14.34 points at 3,392.97.

In key data to watch out for in US, the weekly ICSC Golman Store Sales will be announced. This is a weekly measure of comparable store sales and accounts for nearly 10% of total retail sales. The consumer credit outstanding for March is seen lower around USD 15 billion compared to USD 18 billion in February.

European markets ended off their lows after ECB chief Mario Draghi said that the central bank is closely watching incoming data and is ready to take further action if needed to address economic weakness.

In the currency space, the euro pulled back from Monday’s high of 1.31 to the dollar. The dollar index is around 82.30 levels.

In commodities, Brent crude prices hovered around USD 105 a barrel. From the precious metals space, gold prices are at USD 1470 an ounce.