Stocks stumble, dollar stands tall as U.S. payrolls loom – Reuters

Stocks stumble, dollar stands tall as U.S. payrolls loom – Reuters

SINGAPORE, July 1 (Reuters) - Stocks made a meandering start to the second half of 2021 on Thursday, dipping in Asia on worries about new coronavirus infections and fresh lockdowns, while bond markets were on edge and the dollar crept higher ahead of U.S. labour data.

Equity futures pointed to a small bounce in Europe, after a month-end selloff, with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4%, while FTSE futures rose 0.1% and S&P 500 futures trod water at record high levels and were last up about 0.15%.

In an Asia session thinned by a holiday in Hong Kong, Japan's Nikkei (.N225) fell 0.3% and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.4%.