• A fresh set of troublingly poor data out of China has investors running for cover on Monday, with all major stock indexes around the world losing ground on the week’s first trading day.
  • Trade data showed that the value of Chinese imports and exports fell heavily in the year to December.
  • The news has pushed stocks around the world lower, with futures pointing to losses of as much as 0.9% for the Nasdaq when US markets open later Monday.
  • European and Asian shares have also dropped, with the market further hindered by thin liquidity in Asia as Japanese traders enjoy a public holiday.
  • Follow the latest stock moves at Markets Insider.

A fresh set of troublingly poor data out of China has investors running for cover on Monday, with all major stock indexes around the world losing ground on the week’s first trading day.

The value of Chinese imports and exports fell heavily in the year to December, adding to a lengthening list of evidence that all is not well in the world’s second largest economy.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, the value of exports tumbled 7.6% from a year earlier in US dollar terms, coming in well below the median economist forecast offered to Reuters for an increase of 5%.

The year-on-year drop in imports and exports was the largest since the second half of 2016.

“Weaker than expected trade figures are immediately weighing on commodity and equity markets and associated currency baskets,” Stephen Innes, head of trading in the Asia Pacific region for OANDA said in an email. “Sorry, no frontloading in this data to hang one’s hat on!”

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