New figures released by the United States Department of Labor on Thursday revealed that 1.3 million people filed for unemployment benefits in the past week – 50,000 more than the expected 1.25 million.

Coinciding with a spike of 75,000 coronavirus cases in the US, the highest single-day increase yet recorded, the disappointing unemployment statistics had a knock-on effect on investor enthusiasm that soon became visible in the markets. The Dow and S&P both opened down 0.7%, and the Nasdaq saw a loss of 1.1%.

“The mild risk-off tone to the start of the US session is keeping stocks in the red after a softer European session,” commented Neil Wilson, remarking that the prominence of US unemployment figures “cast a shadow” over global markets.

Outside the US, surprising slides were also seen in prominent Asian markets, with a fall of 4.5% in the Shanghai Composite, 5.3% in the Shenzen Component and 1.6% in the Hong Kong Hang Seng. After reports emerged of better-than-expected Chinese GDP, indicating an 11.5% month-on-month increase in economic output in June, these stock market tumbles were especially jarring.

Even less-affected European markets still saw a decline, with a 0.3% slip recorded in both the FTSE 100 and the DAX and a drop of 0.4% in the CAC 40 by the afternoon.

Detsche Bank strategist Jim Reid commented on Friday that the Chinese markets’ loss could be attributed to a 1.8% dip in June retail sales, adding that a recent jump in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region “seems to also be acting as an overhang.”