Stocks Opened Lower as Weak Jobs Report Weighed

U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday, as Friday’s disappointing jobs report has helped spur concerns about the upcoming first-quarter earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately gained 10.68 points, or 0.06%, to 17,773.92. The S&P 500 was up 1.54 points, or 0.07%, to 2,068.50. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.69 point, or 0.01%, to 4,887.62.

The U.S. created the fewest new jobs in March in 15 months. The economy generated just 126,000 new jobs last month, breaking a streak of 12 straight 200,000-plus gains and marking the smallest increase since the end of 2013. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The timing of U.S. interest rate hikes are uncertain and the Federal Reserve must watch that the surprising recent weakness in the U.S. economy does not foreshadow a more substantial slowdown, an influential Fed official said on Monday.

uniQure N.V. (Nasdaq:QURE), a leader in human gene therapy, today announced unaudited results for the fourth quarter and year ending December 31, 2014, and provided an update on multiple gene therapy programs. The Company recorded licensing and collaboration revenue of €1.5 million compared with €0.9 million for the same period in 2013.

Refiners are poised to make gasoline at a record pace this year, keeping the biggest U.S. crude glut in more than 80 years from overflowing storage. Booming crude production expanded inventories this year by 86 million barrels to 471 million, the highest level since 1930.