HSBC will permanently adopt the hybrid working model it has implemented during the coronavirus pandemic and will make significant cuts to travel spending, CEO Noel Quinn said. "My own view on the return to office is it would be a waste if we didn't learn from the last 18 months," Quinn said.

Labor Department statistics show 235,000 jobs were created in August, far below the 1.1 million created in July and considerably short of the 733,000 expected by economists. The spread of the Delta coronavirus variant is widely cited as the reason for the slowdown.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached new all-time highs on Monday, helped by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's statement that the central bank is likely to begin tapering its asset purchase program imminently. However, differing opinions are emerging on when the Fed will begin to slow its buying of bonds.

Strategists at JPMorgan Chase say credit markets may prove more valuable than equities for investors seeking to hedge against the risk of Federal Reserve policy changes. While the strategists expect the market to remain robust through the Fed's future tapering efforts, they contend credit markets would offer investors "more limited upside and lower implied volatility levels."

The Federal Reserve has news conferences scheduled after every meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee in 2019, which could help Chairman Jerome Powell clear up questions about rate hikes -- or could create confusion. Powell's speech last week boosted the stock market, analysts say.