TOKYO—Shares were higher Monday in Europe after a mixed trading session in Asia, where the Shanghai benchmark jumped after reopening from the Lunar New Year holidays.
France’s CAC 40 added 0.3 percent in early trading to 6,968.99, while Germany’s DAX edged up 0.4 percent to 15,153.17. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent to 7,546.10. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4 percent to 34,848.0. The S&P 500 future was 0.3 percent lower, at 4,477.25.
Investors also are watching for moves by central banks in India, Indonesia, and Thailand, which are all set to decide on monetary policy within the week.
In Asian trading, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.7 percent to finish at 27,248.87. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1 percent to 7,110.80. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.2 percent to 2,745.06. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was little changed, inching up less than 0.1 percent to 24,579.55, while the Shanghai Composite added 2 percent to 3,429.58.
This week brings earnings reports from some of the region’s biggest companies, including Japanese automakers. They may provide updates on shortages of computer chips and other disruptions and pressures related to the pandemic.
Surging COVID-19 infections in the region because of the omicron variant are also weighing on sentiment. Much of Japan is under a government-backed request for restaurants and bars to close early to slow the growth in cases and hospitalization.
On Friday, The S&P 500 gained 0.5 percent to 4,500.53. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1 percent, to 35,089.74 after a last-minute burst of selling. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.6 percent to 14,098.01. The three indexes posted a weekly gain for the second week in a row.
Smaller stocks in the Russell 2000 rose 0.6 percent to 2,002.36.
The U.S. Labor Department said employers added 467,000 jobs last month, triple economists’ forecasts. Some economists had expected a loss of jobs amid January’s surge in coronavirus infections because of the omicron variant.
Treasury yields leaped following the jobs report’s release, tracking forecasts that the Fed will hike short-term interest rates more aggressively than earlier expected.
“With the release of most major tech earnings, the Fed’s policy outlook may once again take center stage in the new trading week,” Jun Rong Yeap of IG said in a commentary.
Market watchers also will be eyeing fresh U.S. inflation data and jobless claims, due on Thursday.
The 10-year Treasury was at 1.90 percent on Monday, down from 1.92 percent.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.10 to $91.21 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It surged $2.04 on Friday to $92.31. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped 69 cents to $92.58 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 115.17 Japanese yen from 115.28 yen. The euro cost $1.1446, down from $1.1461.
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