· Stocks fell for a fifth straight day on Friday after the U.S. government released employment data that badly missed expectations, adding to growing concerns that the global economy may be slowing down.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average pulled back 22.99 points to 25,450.24 as Exxon Mobil and Pfizer lagged. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent to 2,743.07 as the energy and consumer discretionary sectors declined. The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.2 percent to close at 7,408.14.
· Stocks in Europe fell during Friday's session amid poor U.S. data and as investors continued to digest news of further stimulus in the euro zone.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was provisionally down 0.78 percent percent during Friday trade, with every sector but telecoms in the red. All major European bourses were in negative territory too.
· Market sentiment was influenced by weaker-than-expected Chinese trade data. Chinese exports dropped 20.7 percent in February from a year ago, which has raised questions about broader economic growth in the region — a key element to global growth. Friday also saw disappointing data from the U.S., with numbers showing job growth almost stalled in February.
· Sterling dipped sharply hit a two week low as doubts existed over whether Europe and the U.K. could break the Brexit deadlock. There are three weeks until Britain leaves the European union and still no deal has been arranged.
· Asia Pacific markets traded mixed on Monday despite growing concerns over a global economic slowdown after important data in the United States and China missed expectations last week.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.36 percent in early trade while the Topix index added 0.41 percent. In South Korea, the Kospi was up 0.19 percent.
The ASX 200 in Australia fell 0.24 percent in morning trade as most sectors declined. The energy sector was down 1.88 percent as oil stocks retreated: Shares of Santos was down 2.09 percent, Oil Search lower by 2.11 percent and Woodside Petroleum declined 2.32 percent.
Reference: CNBC
Thai
Eng