Investing.com - Hong Kong led Asian markets lower on Monday after data showed continued weakness in China's manufacturing sector.
The Hang Seng Index lost 1.54% after HSBC's final reading for its Purchasing Managers Index for China came in at 48.1 for April, lower than a preliminary reading of 48.3, and little moved from the 48 reading in March. A score below 50 indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity, while a score above that line points to an expansion.
The manufacturing data's impact rippled through currency markets, especially in Australia--a country with strong trade ties with China.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2%. Sydney was adding to a 1.3% decline that it suffered last week, which made it one of the region's worst performers over the previous five sessions.
Stocks were also under pressure in mainland China, with the Shanghai Composite fell 0.73%.
Last week on Friday, the Dow 30 fell 0.28%, the S&P 500 index fell 0.13%, while the NASDAQ Composite Composite index fell 0.09%.
Geopolitical concerns in Europe eclipsed robust U.S. jobs numbers and dampened spirits on Wall Street earlier.
The U.N. Security Council met at Russia's request to discuss the Ukraine crisis on Friday, while separately, U.S. President Barack Obama earlier threatened to slap fresh sanctions on Russia if Moscow disrupts Ukrainian elections scheduled for May 25.
Ukraine's army and a pro-Russian rebels continued to skirmish earlier, stoking fears that the crisis will develop and drag the U.S. deeper into the standoff.
Elsewhere, the Labor Department reported earlier that the U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in April, beating expectations for a 210,000 increase. March's figure was revised up to a 203,000 rise from a previously estimated 192,000 gain.
The private sector added 273,000 last month, more than an expected 210,000 increase. In March, the number of private sector jobs was revised up to a 202,000 increase a previously estimated 192,000 rise.
The report also showed that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 6.3% in April, from 6.7% the previous month, compared to expectations for a fall 6.6%.
Separately, data showed that U.S. factory orders rose 1.1% in March, less than the expected 1.4% gain, after a 1.5% rise in February, whose figure was revised down from a previously estimated 1.6% increase.
After the close of European trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.84%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.65%, while Germany's DAX fell 0.49%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 rose 0.20%.