Asian and European Stocks Mostly Down as Investors Cautious; US Futures Also Lower

Asian markets including Japan's Nikkei, Australia's S&P/ASX 200, China's Shanghai Composite, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined on Thursday.

Japan reported a higher-than-expected trade surplus for September. Australia's unemployment rate dropped more than forecast.

Major European indices like the STOXX 600, Germany's DAX, France's CAC, and UK's FTSE were trading lower early Thursday.

Commodity prices were mixed with oil and gold lower while copper was up.

US stock index futures were slightly lower ahead of the open after declines on Wall Street Wednesday. The US dollar index edged up.