Global Markets: Asian shares rise as upbeat U.S. jobs data offsets trade worries

Reuters  |  TOKYO 

By Hideyuki Sano

MSCI's broadest index of shares outside gained 1.0 percent to a high last seen on May 17, while Japan's Nikkei rose 1.3 percent.

Tech names such as and were among the biggest gainers.

European stocks are seen rising, with spread-betters expecting Britain's FTSE and Germany's Dax to gain 0.3 percent and France's Cac 0.4 percent.

On Wall Street on Friday, U.S. tech shares soared, pushing up the 1.51 percent to 7,554 points, near its record closing high of 7,588 struck in March.

In contrast, the S&P 500, which rose 1.08 percent on Friday, was still about 140 points off a record peak of 2,872 set in January due to concerns over trade frictions.

of the closest U.S. allies vented anger over the Trump administration's on Saturday, setting the tone for a heated summit next week in

In a rare show of division among the normally harmonious club of wealthy nations, six member countries issued a statement asking to convey their "unanimous concern and disappointment" to

"The is showing more divisions than unity, to the point where one has to wonder whether it is worth holding meetings," said Norihiro Fujito, at

"The G7 summit this weekend could be equally terrible. There's even talk that Trump may not go. Concerns on trade frictions are likely to continue to weigh on markets," he added.

There appears to have been no break-through on trade disputes after U.S. Commerce met Chinese Liu He, either.

warned the on Sunday that any agreements reached on trade and business between the two countries will be void if implements tariffs and other trade measures, as the two ended their latest round of talks in

Still, the U.S. economy's current strength kept bears at bay for the moment.

Data released on Friday showed U.S. job growth accelerated in May and the unemployment rate dropped to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent, indicating a rapidly tightening labour market, which could eventually fuel inflation.

"We had strong headline figures on employment but rise in wages was still well-contained and did not point to a sharp acceleration in inflation," Hirokazu Kabeya, at

Average hourly earnings rose eight cents, or 0.3 percent last month after edging up 0.1 percent in April. That pushed the annual increase in average hourly earnings to 2.7 percent from 2.6 percent in April.

The strong employment report added to a string of upbeat economic data, including consumer spending, industrial production and construction spending.

They have suggested economic growth was regaining speed early in the second quarter after expanding at a moderate 2.2 percent annualised rate in the January-March period.

Given the strength, the Federal Reserve is all but certain to raise interest rates at its policy meeting next week.

That supported the dollar against other currencies.

The U.S. currency traded at 109.50 yen, having gained 0.6 percent on Friday, extending its rebound from Tuesday's low of 108.115, its lowest level in over five weeks.

The euro traded at $1.1665, off Thursday's high of $1.1725. Still, it kept some distance from Tuesday's 10-month low of $1.1510 as concerns over Italy's political crisis have eased.

U.S. crude futures fell as low as $65.51 per barrel on Friday, touching their lowest level in almost two months. Rising U.S. crude production and a glut trapped inland due to a lack of pipeline capacity have pressured prices.

U.S. crude futures last traded at $65.71, down 0.15 percent. Global benchmark Brent was down 0.44 percent, at $76.45.

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, June 04 2018. 11:09 IST