Stocks eased off their worst levels, but still finished lower in another thin, volatile session Thursday as investors sifted through a handful of headlines from the euro zone and after the S&P breached a key technical level.
Futures extended their gains in volatile pre-market trading Thursday after the ECB unexpectedly cut its interest rate and following talks the Greek government might collapse, thus avoiding a referendum on its euro zone membership and easing concerns about an imminent default.
Stocks ended near session highs Friday following news that a group of euro zone finance ministers have approved the next round of aid for Greece and amid optimism over the euro zone ahead of the EU summit on Sunday.
Stocks kicked off the new month and quarter with a thud Monday, led by financials, as worries over Greece continued to spook investors and overshadowed a pair of better-than-expected economic news. The Dow and S&P closed at their lowest levels in over a year.
Futures slipped Monday as European shares tanked following news that Greece will miss a budget deficit target for this year that was set only months ago.
Stocks closed out the worst quarter in almost three years amid fears over the global recovery and finished near session lows for the day as investors were reluctant to stay long ahead of the weekend.