Global stocks were mixed Monday, with U.S. markets closed for the July 4 holiday and futures pointing to a muted trading session at the open Tuesday.
The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 edged 0.2% higher, while the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index gained 0.5%. In Asia, major indexes closed on a mixed note.
S&P 500 futures were relatively flat, while Nasdaq-100 futures slid 0.1%. Major U.S. stock indexes notched record closing highs Friday after a monthly employment report confirmed that the U.S. economy continued to recover at a healthy clip.
Investors say stock markets globally could be more choppy in the coming weeks as fresh data offer indications about the pace of economic recovery. Money managers are also awaiting signals from policy makers world-wide on whether they will weigh tightening easy-money policies that have aided the global recovery.
“For global equities, we’re entering a volatile backdrop,” said Georgina Taylor, a multiasset fund manager at Invesco. “Any central bank decision is having such an impact globally because it gives a sense of how policy makers are reacting to the data.”