BEIJING: Global stocks were weighed down Monday by weak Chinese trade and the prospect of a US interest rate hike next month. But Japan and China bucked the trend to rise strongly.

KEEPING SCORE: In early trading, Germany's DAX shed 0.2 percent to 10,966.46 and France's CAC-40 lost 0.3 percent to 4,966.57. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.3 percent to 6,373.97. Futures pointed to a drop on Wall Street. Dow futures were down 0.2 percent at 17,803.00. S&P 500 futures fell 0.3 percent to 2,088.30.

CHINESE TRADE: Customs data showed China's imports fell by 18.8 percent in October from a year earlier, damping hopes for a rebound this quarter from its economic slowdown. Exports shrank 6.9 percent in a sign of weak global demand. So far this year, total Chinese trade has declined 8.5 percent compared with the first 10 months of last year. Weak demand from China is a negative for countries such as Australia and South Korea but also suggests Beijing will provide stimulus to the economy to prevent it from slowing too sharply.

AMERICAN JOBS: An unexpectedly strong October jobs report fueled expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as early as next month after keeping them close to zero since the 2008 global crisis. The Labor Department said US employers added 271,000 jobs, beating the most optimistic projections, while the unemployment rate dipped to a fresh seven-year low of 5 percent, from 5.1 percent. The market turmoil over the summer kept the Fed from raising rates at their September meeting.

ANALYST'S TAKE: With Federal Funds Rate futures for December implying a 69 percent probability of a rate hike, "markets have not thrown a tantrum or gone into hysterics, yet," said IG market strategist Evan Lucas in a report. Their orderly movements suggest markets "will take a small increase to the Fed funds rate in its stride. "

ASIA'S DAY: The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.6 percent to 3,646.88 after the weak data raised stimulus hopes. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 2 percent at 19,642.74 as prospects of a rate hike propelled the dollar higher against the yen. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6 percent to 22,726.77. Australia's ASX/S&P 200 shed 1.8 percent to 5,119.50 and South Korea's Kospi retreated 0.8 percent to 2,025.70. Stock benchmarks in Southeast Asia fell.

ENERGY: Benchmark US crude gained 13 cents to $44.42 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged $1.09 on Friday to close at $44.29. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, added 22 cents to $47.63 in London. It fell 56 cents on Friday to close at $47.42.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 123.48 yen from Friday's 123.17. The euro gained to $1.0763 from $1.0742.