Wall Street set for lower open after March payrolls data

By Abhiram Nandakumar

REUTERS - Wall Street was set to open lower on Friday after a non-farm payrolls report showed employers added more jobs than expected in March, a sign of economic resilience that could allow the Federal Reserve to gradually raise interest rates this year.

The Labor Department's report showed employers added 215,000 jobs in March, more than the 205,000 estimated.

Unemployment rose to 5 percent from an eight-year low of 4.9 percent as more Americans continued to return to the labor force, a sign of confidence in the jobs market.

A separate report at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Friday is expected to show the Institute for Supply Management's national manufacturing index rose to 50.7 in March from 49.5 in February.

At 8:37 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 55 points, or 0.31 percent, with 41,371 contracts changing hands. S&P 500 e-minis were down 7.5 points, or 0.37 percent, with 318,044 contracts traded. Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 16.5 points, or 0.37 percent, on volume of 34,731 contracts.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen this week urged caution on raising interest rates, given the global risks to the U.S. economy and low oil prices.

Weak Japanese manufacturing data on Friday pushed global stocks lower and propped up prices of safe-haven assets.

U.S. stocks ended the first quarter with a whimper on Thursday after a seven-week rally that rescued the S&P 500 from its worst start to a year since 2009.

The late-quarter recovery helped the S&P and the Dow Jones industrial average log their second-straight quarter of gains.

Tesla's shares were up 8.3 percent at $248.78 premarket after the electric carmaker unveiled a new sedan with increased range.

Marriott was down 5.1 percent at $67.57 after China's Anbang Insurance abandoned its $14 billion bid for Starwood Hotels. Starwood was down 4.2 percent at $79.95.

(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)