Hong Kong, China (AFP) — Most markets rose in Asia Monday after a mixed US jobs report eased worries about a recession in the world’s top economy by maintained expectations the Federal Reserve will press ahead with more interest rate cuts.
However, there was some nervousness after reports said China had cut back on the number of areas it is willing to discuss at this week’s top-level trade talks with the US, rekindling concerns about the chances of any agreement between the two.
After a string of below-par data last week that highlighted the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war on the key manufacturing and services sectors, Friday’s much-anticipated non-farm payrolls figures showed unemployment at a 50-year low in September.
But the pace of job creation was the slowest in four months, wages fell and the manufacturing workforce also shrank for the second time this year.
All three main indexes on Wall Street rallied more than one percent as dealers breathed a sigh of relief that the jobs figures did not miss badly, with most still expecting another Fed rate cut at its next meeting this month.
“As the US unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in 50 years, worries over US recession eased, but at the same time expectations for further rate cuts remain untouched,” Hideyuki Ishiguro, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities, said in a commentary.
Most Asian markets followed the lead from New York.
Sydney rose 0.4 percent and Singapore added 0.6 percent with Seoul gaining 0.1 percent, while Wellington and Taipei each put on 0.5 percent.
Tokyo went into the break 0.3 percent down as the yen strengthened on bets for another Fed cut.
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