Early global indicators were mostly negative for North American stock markets Monday even as crude oil prices declined.

Wall Street futures suggested a strong start for regular trading, but European indexes dropped in early action.

Most Asian markets started the week lower as worries about anti-Japan protests in China helped push down shares in Tokyo – the region’s biggest market. The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues shed 129.11 points, or 1.09 per cent, to close at 11,745.64.

Anti-Japanese protests in China over the weekend and sluggish trading on Wall Street helped caused Tokyo stocks to fall. Thousands of Chinese protested a controversial new Japanese textbook that critics say whitewashes Japan’s colonial history.

In Hong Kong, shares closed flat. The blue-chip Hang Seng Index inched down 6.79 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 13659.93.

On Friday, North American markets finished mostly in the red Friday as oil prices fell by more than US$1 a barrel Friday, dropping for the fifth straight day. Only the TSX Venture exchange managed to close out the week in the black.

At close, the S&P/TSX composite index was down 1.63 points or 0.02% at 9623.72, despite gains by both the technology and financials sectors. For the week, the TSX was down 0.15%.

The TSX Venture Exchange was up 2.56 points or 0.14% at 1848.81.

On Wall Street, the Dow industrial average fell 84.98 points or 0.81% at 10461.34. The Nasdaq lost 19.44 points or 0.96% at 1999.35 and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index slid 9.94 points or 0.83% to 1181.20.