Global markets closed lower on Thursday (Feb 2) as investors continued to eye tension between U.S. President Donald Trump and other country leaders. In a meeting with lawmakers, Trump said he would like to speed up talks to either renegotiate or replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, Reuters reported. Investors weighed concerns on Trump’s protectionist bent against solid economic readings from around the globe on manufacturing and inflation that have suggested improving fundamentals in 2017 as they positioned ahead of Friday’s U.S. non-farm payrolls report. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged after its latest policy meeting even as it painted an upbeat picture of the economy.

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