The Australian market looks set to open slightly lower.

At 0830 AEST on Monday, the June share price index futures contract was down three points at 4,394.

In economic news on Tuesday, the Australian Reserve Bank holds it monthly board meeting and decides whether to alter the official interest rate.

Also, the Australian Industry Group/Pricewaterhouse performance of manufacturing (PMI) index for April is due out.

In equities news, Commonwealth Bank of Australia chief executive Ian Narev delivers a speech at Trans-Tasman Business Circle lunch in Sydney, and Stockland holds an investor day with managing director Matthew Quinn delivering a presentation.

In Australia, the market on Monday closed stronger, driven by resource and banking stocks, to put it on a slightly stronger footing over all of April.

Traders said the market finished stronger on the day on the expectations of a cut in domestic interest rates and a soft economic landing in China.

At 1615 AEST on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 34.5 points, or 0.79 per cent, higher at 4,396.6 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 33.8 points, or 0.76 per cent, at 4,467.2 points.

NEW YORK - US stocks closed out April with all three indices slipping lower, helped by weak US consumer spending data and ongoing worries about Spain and the eurozone.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 14.68 points, or 0.11 per cent, at 13,213.63, while the S&P 500 index lost 5.45 (0.39 per cent) to 1,397.91.

Drops by two of the Nasdaq's biggest companies, Apple and Google, dragged that index down 22.84 (0.74 per cent) to 3,046.36.

Data on US consumer spending released before the opening bell underscored the continued struggle in getting the economy going. Spending growth slowed to 0.3 per cent in March, even as personal income growth picked up to a faster 0.4 per cent month-on-month.

Worries about whether Spain can surmount the problems in its banking system and avoid a new eurozone crisis also clouded trade, after pushing European markets lower -- the Euro Stoxx 50 blue-chip market fell 1.6 per cent Monday.

LONDON - European stock markets fell Monday amid more bad news for indebted Spain and poor US economic data.

London's FTSE 100 index slid 0.68 per cent to close at 5,737.78 points and the Frankfurt DAX 30 was 0.59 per cent lower at 6,761.19 points.

In Paris the CAC 40 dropped by a stiff 1.64 per cent to 3,212.80 points and Madrid's IBEX 35 index lost 1.89 per cent to 7,011 points as data confirmed that Spain was back in recession and Standard & Poor's downgraded the top Spanish banks.

In foreign exchange deals, the euro traded for $1.3231 or the same level as late on Friday in New York.

HONG KONG - Asian markets rose following a positive lead from Wall Street as dealers look ahead to the release of key economic data and European elections over the next week.

Seoul put on 0.34 per cent, or 6.64 points, to 1,981.99 while Hong Kong climbed 1.70 per cent, or 352.76 points, to 21,094.21.

Tokyo and Shanghai were closed for public holidays.

With no catalysts to drive buying in Asia, traders looked to Wall Street, which saw its three main indexes close in the green thanks to a strong earnings report from online retail giant Amazon, which said sales in the January-March quarter soared 34 per cent.

WELLINGTON - The NZX 50 Index rose 10.83 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 3,531.65.

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