Risk in a comfortable spot in early trades

  • German DAX futures +0.2%
  • UK FTSE futures +0.2%
  • Spanish IBEX futures +0.2%

In Asia, the Nikkei closes up 1.8% as Japanese stocks continue their breakout form from last week while the Hang Seng is up 0.8% and Shanghai Composite up 1.1% ahead of the closing stages of the day.

US futures (reminder that it is a US holiday) are steady as equities are keeping the calm despite the payrolls miss on Friday, which does cast some doubt on Fed taper expectations and in turn, keeps the thought that easy money is here to stay for longer. Brrrr!

Powell