Global markets slipped on Monday as risk aversion gripped investors, even amid ongoing optimism over US rate cuts. Japan's Nikkei fell about 2 per cent after the yen strengthened to 155.55 per dollar, following comments from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda suggesting a possible rate hike. Japanese government bond yields rose to their highest since 2008, with the two-year yield at 1.02 per cent and the 10-year at 1.87 per cent. US futures also declined, with S&P 500 down 0.7 per cent and Nasdaq 0.8 per cent, while European futures slipped 0.3 per cent. Cryptocurrencies fell more than 5 per cent, reflecting a broad cooling in risk appetite. Hong Kong's Hang Seng bucked the trend, rising 0.7% amid hopes for renewed stimulus after weak China PMIs. Investors are focusing on US economic data on manufacturing, services, and consumer sentiment, as well as remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ahead of next week's policy meeting, with traders pricing in an 87 per cent chance of a rate cut. Holiday retail data showed record online spending of $11.8 billion on Black Friday, up 9.1 per cent from 2024. Attribution: Reuters