Shares are mostly lower in Europe and Asia ahead of US jobs and
inflation reports
[December 16, 2025] By
ELAINE KURTENBACH
BANGKOK (AP) — Shares retreated Tuesday in Europe and Asia ahead of the
release of U.S. employment and inflation reports that could drive the
direction of interest rates.
The future for the S&P 500 fell 0.5% and that for the Dow Jones
Industrial Average was 0.3% lower.
Germany's DAX lost 0.4% to 24,142.20, while the CAC 40 in Paris edged
0.1% higher, to 8,129.43. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.3% to 9,722.23.
In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 declined 1.6% to 49,383.29 as
preliminary factory data showed manufacturing slowing slightly. The S&P
Global Flash purchasing managers index rose to 49.7 from 48.7 in
November on a scale of up to 100 where 50 marks the cut off for
expansion.
Investors are watching Japanese data carefully ahead of a Bank of Japan
policy meeting on Friday that is widely expected to result in an
interest rate hike that could rattle world bond, currency and
cryptocurrency markets.
Chinese markets also retreated after figures for November, released
Monday, came in weaker than expected. Retail sales rose at their slowest
rate since 2022, during the pandemic, at 1.3% from a year earlier in
November. Lending and investment also weakened.
“Overall, the data set confirms a loss of momentum into (the) year-end
and is consistent with our growth forecasts that moderating to around
4%” in the last quarter of this year, Tan Boon Heng of Mizuho Bank said
in a report.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.5% to 25,235.41, while the Shanghai
Composite index lost 1.1% to 3,824.81.
South Korea's Kospi gave up 2.2% to 3,999.13 as technology shares
dropped. Computer chip maker SK Hynix skidded 4.3%, while Samsung
Electronics fell 1.9%.
In Taiwan, the Taiex shed 1.2%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.4% to 8,598.90.
Shares in Roomba maker iRobot sank 22% in premarket trading after the
company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That was on top of a
nearly 73% decline on Monday. The company know for its robotic vacuums
has struggled with increased competition but said it doesn’t expect any
disruptions to its devices as it is taken private under a restructuring
process.
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Currency traders pass by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock
Price Index (KOSPI), top center left, and the foreign exchange rate
between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign
exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters, in Seoul, South
Korea, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2%,
though the majority of stocks within the index rose. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average dipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.6%.
Artificial-intelligence -related stocks, which were mixed following
last week’s swings, helped keep gains in check.
Nvidia, the chip company that’s become the face of the AI boom,
added 0.7%. But Oracle sank another 2.7% following its 12.7% tumble
last week, its worst in more than seven years. Broadcom fell 5.6%.
AI stocks have wobbled on worries that the billions of dollars
flowing into chips and data centers may not yield a big-enough
payoff.
The main focus on Wall Street this week, apart from AI, will be
several big updates on the U.S. economy.
Economists expect the jobs report from November, due Tuesday, to
show employers added 40,000 more jobs than they cut during the
month. An update on inflation Thursday is forecast to show U.S.
consumers paid prices that were 3.1% higher in November than a year
before.
Investors are hoping that the job market will weaken by just enough
to get the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, but not so much
that the economy slips into recession. Lower rates help boost the
economy and prices for investments, but also may worsen inflation.
Economists expect Tuesday’s report to show the unemployment rate at
4.4%, which would keep it near its worst level since 2021.
In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost $1.08
to $55.74 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell
$1.06 to $59.50 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar fell to 154.84 Japanese yen from 155.21 yen. The
euro rose to $1.1760 from $1.1755.
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