Australia

Australian shares are set to open lower, after US benchmarks mostly rose.

ASX futures were down 0.29% or 25 points as of 8:00am on Monday, suggesting a lower open.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rallied and were poised to set new records after data showed hiring rebounded in November.

The latest nonfarm payrolls report suggested the labor market remains in decent health-but not strong enough to deter the Federal Reserve from cutting rates later this month.

A total of 227,000 positions were created in November, topping expectations for 214,000 new jobs. Unemployment edged up to 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said, matching consensus forecasts.

Bonds yields and the dollar slipped, while stock indexes advanced.

The reading, the last before the Fed's December policy meeting, solidified expectations for a quarter-point rate cut. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said the economy is looking better, which means policymakers can take their time cutting rates.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose and were poised to eclipse the record highs they set earlier this week, while the Dow industrials slipped.

Shares of Lululemon, DocuSign and Ulta Beauty rallied after the companies raised their financial guidance.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 1.35% to US$71.12 a barrel, while gold was up 0.06% to US$2,633.37.

The Australian dollar was at 63.88 US cents.

Asia

Chinese shares closed higher. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.0% to 3,404.08, and the Shenzhen Composite Index added 1.2% to 2,064.65.

Hong Kong shares ended higher. The benchmark Hang Seng Index gained 1.6% to 19,865.85.

Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average lost 0.8% to 39,091.17.

India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX fell 0.1% to 81,709.12.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished lower. The FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.5% to 8,308.61.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX increased 0.1% to 20,384.61, and France's CAC 40 rose 1.3% to 7,426.88.

North America

US stocks ended mixed. The DJIA slipped 0.3% to 44,642.52, the S&P 500 added 0.2% to 6,090.27, and the Nasdaq gained 0.8% to 19,859.77.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Lululemon Athletica Inc LULU, surging 15.89%, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co HPE jumped 10.62%, and Ulta Beauty Inc ULTA lifted 8.99%.

The biggest decliners were UnitedHealth Group Inc UNH which dropped 5.07%, The Cooper Companies Inc COO fell 4.39%, and Halliburton Co HAL lost 4.13%.