NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised to take a small step back Wednesday, the final day of a first quarter bolstered by a strong month of March, as a disappointing report on the job market failed to lift investor confidence.
Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures were slightly lower.
Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.
Stocks ended a little higher Tuesday, pushing the Dow to a fresh 18-month high as investors digested mixed reports showing a rise in consumer confidence and continued weakness in the housing market.
Wall Street will reach the end of what has been a fairly solid March. Going into the final session, the Dow is up 5.7% this month, giving the index a 4.5% gain for the quarter.
Economy: ADP released its monthly report on employment before the opening bell, showing that private-sector employers cut 23,000 jobs in March. This was in sharp contrast to expectations of a 40,000 job increase, according to economists surveyed by Briefing.com. This is after cutting a revised 20,000 in February.
ADP has not reported an increase in monthly payroll numbers since January 2008, when 34,000 private-sector jobs were added.
The Chicago PMI, a regional reading on manufacturing, is due at 9:45 a.m. ET. Economists predict the index fell to a reading of 61 in March from 62.6 in February.
Research in Motion (RIMM) reports quarterly earnings after the close of trade. The BlackBerry maker is expected to have earned $1.28 per share versus 90 cents a year earlier.
World markets: Asian stocks finished lower. In Japan, the Nikkei index lost 0.1%, and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.6%.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX all advanced.
The dollar and commodities: The dollar retreated against the pound but rose against the euro and the yen.
U.S. light crude oil for May delivery rose 52 cents to $82.89 a barrel. The price of gold for June delivery added $5.40 an ounce to $1,110.50.
Bonds: Treasury prices were little changed, with the 10-year yield holding at around 3.87%. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
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