Market sentiment remains cautiously optimistic during early Tuesday as traders await the opening of the US and Canadian bourses after an extended weekend. The risk appetite improves on easing concerns over the monetary policy adjustments and recently softening coronavirus numbers, as well as hopes of faster jabbing.

While portraying the mood, the US 10-year Treasury yields begin the week on a positive note, up 2.2 basis points (bps) to 1.343%. 

Elsewhere, the pandemic-led local lockdowns have tamed talks over the monetary policy consolidations at the Fed, ECB and the RBA. The last Friday’s US employment data underpinned the hopes of further easy money policies and renewed market optimism.

U.S. stock futures opened slightly higher Monday night after the Dow slipped from a record high on Friday before the three-day Labor Day weekend.

In regular trading Friday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.21%, helping support the broader market.

The losses came after the August jobs report came in short of expectations, highlighting continued concern about the spread of Covid and its delta variant. Non-farm payrolls increased by 235,000 in August, the Labor Department reported, but economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected 720,000 jobs.

One week into September, the major averages are all up, despite a muted kickoff to for the month. Year-to-date, the Nasdaq Composite is up 19.2%, although investors and analysts are still on the lookout for a major correction in September.