(Tokyo) Global markets started the week lower on Monday after a rather tough week on Wall Street due to US employment data.
In France, Paris lost 0.2% at the start of the day on Monday, while Frankfurt, Germany slipped 0.3%. On the side of London, England, the fall was 0.5%.
In New York, before markets opened, the Dow Jones Industrials Average was up 0.2% and the broader S
In Asia, the Nikkei 225 added 0.2% in Tokyo. The Shanghai stock market fell 0.6%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was flat. Sydney lost 0.2% and Seoul 0.9%.
On the New York Commodities Exchange, oil prices fell 84 cents US to US$82.28 a barrel.
Investors were watching closely some companies whose quarterly results are due later this week, including Disney in the United States, Alibaba Group in China, as well as Sony and SoftBank in Japan.
Last week, a much-anticipated US jobs report found that hiring was a little weaker last month than economists expected, although workers’ wages rose more than expected.
While a strong labor market is generally a positive sign for the economy, the US Federal Reserve could see particularly strong wage growth as putting more pressure on inflation.
If the labor market continues to moderate, this could allow inflation to continue to subside, after peaking last summer.