Global stock markets in turmoil: Japan’s Nikkei, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Korea’s Kospi sink as U.S. stock futures fall before jobs data

Market Overview - Global stock markets experienced a decline, particularly in Asia and Europe, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of significant U.S. employment and inflation data [1][12] - U.S. stock futures indicated a lower opening, with S&P 500 futures down 0.5% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down 0.3% [2] Sector Performance - Technology stocks were a major contributor to the market decline, with notable volatility observed in AI-linked stocks [6][12] - Speculative stocks showed gains, with Biodexa Pharmaceuticals surging nearly 60% to $7.63, AMC Robotics rising 35% to $9.83, and B. Riley Financial climbing almost 28% to $4.75 [3] Regional Insights - Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.6% to 49,383.29, influenced by weak manufacturing data, with the S&P Global Flash PMI rising to 49.7 in December from 48.7 in November, still below the expansion threshold [7][8] - Chinese stocks declined due to disappointing economic figures, with retail sales increasing only 1.3% year over year, the slowest since 2022 [9][10] - South Korea's Kospi dropped 2.2% to 3,999.13, heavily impacted by losses in chipmakers like SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics [11] Oil Market - Oil prices decreased, with U.S. crude falling $1.08 to $55.74 per barrel and Brent crude dropping $1.06 to $59.50 [12] Economic Data Focus - The upcoming U.S. jobs report is expected to show a net gain of about 40,000 jobs, with unemployment projected to remain near 4.4% [13] - Inflation data due Thursday is forecasted to indicate a 3.1% year-over-year rise in consumer prices [13]