U.S. stock futures switched between small gains and small losses on Monday, with markets closed for the Labor Day holiday and investors digesting an oil agreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
U.K. stocks retreated Monday, feeling the pinch from ratings downgrades for Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and Lloyds Banking Group PLC, as well as from dampened expectations for more monetary easing from the Bank of England after a stronger-than-expected services-sector update.
Shares in Asia were broadly higher Monday, as weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data eased worries over an imminent interest-rate increase by the Federal Reserve. The U.S. added about 151,000 jobs in August, a number unlikely to be strong enough for the U.S. Federal Reserve to move toward raising interest rates in September, analysts say. The data helped lift stocks in the U.S. and Europe late Friday.