Global manufacturing PMI data for March were mixed.
The US was an outperformer, with the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing PMI rising to 53.4 in March from 52.4 in February.
UK manufacturing also did well, with the Markit/CIPS manufacturing PMI rising to 52.1 in March from 51.5 in February.
However, manufacturing in the euro area contracted in March. Markit's eurozone manufacturing PMI dropped to 47.7 last month from 49.0 in February, in line with a preliminary reading.
On Sunday, China had provided mixed signals on its manufacturing sector. The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing's manufacturing PMI rose to 53.1 in March from 51.0 in February but HSBC's manufacturing PMI fell to 48.3 from 49.6.
Meanwhile, in Japan, which had reported an improved manufacturing PMI last week, the Bank of Japan's Tankan survey's index of business confidence among large Japanese manufacturers was at minus 4 in March, unchanged from the previous quarter.
Outside of manufacturing, data from the major economies were negative.
In the US, construction spending fell 1.1 percent in February to its lowest level since October.
In the euro area, the unemployment rate rose to 10.8 percent in February, its highest level in almost 15 years, from 10.7 percent in January.
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