U.S. futures pointed to a soft start to the session, with the S&P 500 down 0.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.5%. The bearish sentiment extended to Europe, where the Stoxx Europe 600 retreated 0.6% during morning trading. National indices followed the trend, as France's CAC 40 fell 0.6% and Germany's DAX shed 0.5%, mirroring a 0.6% decline in the U.K.'s FTSE 100.

Individual stock performance remained polarized. Acciona gained 3.8% and Hemnet Group added 3.4%, but these gains were offset by significant losses elsewhere. Lanxess shares tumbled 5.9%, and Temenos slipped 3.9%. Meanwhile, the dollar strengthened, with The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index rising 0.1% to 95.59.

Fixed-income markets saw consistent selling, driving yields higher. The German 10-year Bund yield climbed 3 basis points to 3.565%, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose 4 basis points to 5.032%. Asian markets provided a mixed backdrop for the global moves, with the Nikkei 225 ending flat, the Hang Seng dropping 1%, and the Shanghai Composite declining 0.5%. Natural gas prices offered a rare point of stability, with Dutch TTF futures edging down 0.4% to 82.21 euros a megawatt hour.