US stocks end flat on disappointing data

In the US markets, it was a tepid session with the key indices closing marginally in the green as investors digested disappointing data.

On economic data front, jobless claims rose 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 424,000 form an upwardly revised 414,000.

Also, the second reading on first quarter gross domestic product was reported unchanged at 1.8%.

In other economic news, Goldman Sachs reduced its earnings forecast for the S&P 500 to USD 104 a share from USD 106, bringing its forecast for the index to 1,450 from 1,500.

In the currency space, the euro rose against the dollar after news report suggested that China is interested in buying bailout bonds for Portugal. The greenback pared some of its losses as the session progressed but is still in negative zone.

In commodities, oil fell more than 1%, below USD 101 levels on Nymex as the US economy grew less than expected in the first quarter, stoking fresh worries about oil demand. Meanwhile, Brent crude eked out a tiny gain, as a weaker dollar supported and geopolitical worries persisted.