Stocks extend slide; Private sector hiring slows; Walmart's political stand

Wall Street kicking off the second quarter with more selling after stocks (^DJI) got clobbered to end the first quarter.

Yahoo Finance Senior Columnist Michael Santoli isn't surprised at the apparent confusion.

"I think that has almost been the story of this year, people trying to figure out how to play for slowdown in the U.S. but a strong dollar and stimulus overseas," he says.  "A lot of these things are getting pretty noisy."

Investors also getting their first of three employment reports this week, and it isn't what Wall Street and Main Street want to hear.  ADP reporting 189,000 private sector jobs were created last month, well below forecasts.

But Yahoo Finance's Aaron Task says a slowdown in job creation should be expected.

"I think there's a sense that the jobs numbers can't remain so strong when the macroeconomic numbers are weakening," he points out.

Tomorrow, the Labor Department reports weekly jobless claims and on Friday, the March employment report.

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GoDaddy goes big in IPO

Here’s a look at some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team is tracking for you today.

GoDaddy is making its market debut this morning on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GDDY.” The web hosting company raised $460 million in its initial public offering after pricing 20 million shares at $20 apiece, above its expected range.

Micron Technology (MU) shares are also in the spotlight. The maker of chips for personal computers, smartphones, servers and other devices is scheduled to report quarterly results after the close of trading today. Analysts are looking for Micron to earn 73 cents a share and revenue of nearly $4.2 billion in its second quarter.

Related: GoDaddy goes to Wall Street; Sears REIT plans; Mall owners call off deal

Sears (SHLD) shares are higher in early trading. The struggling retailer says it plans to raise $2.5 billion by selling some of its properties to a company-owned Real Estate Investment Trust.  The move is considered important to help turn around the company's fortunes.  In addition, Sears is entering a real estate joint venture with General Growth Properties (GGP) in another effort to extract value from its real estate holdings.

Macerich (MAC) and Simon Property (SPG) are also on investors' radar this morning. The nation's two largest mall operators will not become an item after all. Simon Property withdrew its hostile $16.8 billion takeover bid to buy Macerich after its smaller rival rejected the sweetened offer as because it was too low. Shares of Macerich are lower on the news ahead of the open.

Walmart wants religious freedom bill vetoed

The battle over religious freedom laws is now shifting to Arkansas. Walmart (WMT) CEO Doug McMillon is asking the governor to veto that state's version of a bill passed by the state legislature this week.  Like similar legislation in Indiana, the legilsation has triggered a wave of protests by those who say it allows LGBT discrimination. Walmart, which is headquartered in Arkansas, says that the bill is counter to its core beliefs.

Related: Walmart pressures suppliers to lower prices: Report

Meantime, the world's biggest retailer is meeting with Wall Street analysts today where it's expected to lay out plans for its U.S. business.  And in the effort to turn around sluggish sales, the company is reportedly pressuring suppliers to cut costs and lower prices. The Wall Street Journal says that Walmart is encouraging suppliers to forgo joint-marketing at its stores.

Related: Walmart wage hike not enough for critics: "Company still has a long way to go"

And Amazon (AMZN) insists it's no April Fool's joke...the online retailer releasing 'Dash', a wifi connected button which will allow users to order refills of commonly purchased products.