London (CNN Business) 1. February jobs report: The US economy added only 20,000 jobs in February, a surprisingly low number that bucked the trend of huge jobs gains in recent months.

That was the fewest jobs gained in a month since September 2017. The unemployment rate fell to 3.8% as fewer unemployed people were looking for work.

The Labor Department suggested that furloughed workers from the government shutdown returning to work also contributed to the the lower unemployment rate.

2. China exports slump: Chinese stocks fell sharply after government data showed the country's huge export industry suffered its worst month in three years.

Exports plunged 21% in February from a year earlier, a slump that economists attributed to weaker global demand for Chinese goods and the country's trade war with the United States.