HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets on Monday extended last week’s rally as a solid US jobs report boosted optimism in the world’s top economy, fuelling a record close on Wall Street.
With sentiment still strong following Donald Trump’s decision to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an unprecedented summit to discuss its nuclear programme, equities were on the up.
The upbeat developments helped temper worries about Trump’s announcement of steel and aluminum tariffs that sparked a sell-off earlier this month on worries about a trade war.
All three main indexes in New York rose almost two percent on Friday with the Nasdaq chalking up a fresh record, erasing all the losses suffered through a tumultuous February.
Those gains extended into Asia, with Tokyo ending the morning session 1.7 percent higher thanks to a weaker yen, while Hong Kong climbed 1.3 percent, Shanghai gained 0.3 percent and Seoul put on one percent.
Sydney rose 0.7 percent, helped by news Australia had won an exemption from Trump’s tariffs, Singapore piled on 1.5 percent and Taipei added more than one percent.
There were also healthy gains in Wellington, Manila, and Jakarta.
Investors were cheered by US Labor Department data that showed employers added a forecast-busting 313,000 jobs in February.
The closely watched monthly report also revealed moderating wage growth compared with the January report, mitigating concerns the Federal Reserve will speed its pace of interest rate hikes.
Markets were sent spiraling down after the January jobs data, which showed wage growth surging and fanned concerns the Federal Reserve would likely have to ramp up its pace and number of rate hikes.
“The best of both worlds for equity markets, with the economy in full swing but nary a sign of wage inflation,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA.
“It doesn’t get much better than that for investors and at least for now have dampened the inflationary fears that weighed on investor sentiment in February. When coupled with an easing in trade rhetoric and positive news from the Korean Peninsula, risk sentiment is powering higher.”
The jobs figures and Trump-Kim summit helped oil prices surge on Friday and the commodity continued to climb in Asia.
But AxiTrader analyst Greg McKenna warned tensions could come back easily.
“President Trump directly tweeted against the EU on tariffs over the weekend (and) China is still girding for a trade battle,” he added.
Key figures around 0230 GMT
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.7 percent at 21,837.46 (break)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng: UP 1.3 percent at 31,382.46
Dollar/yen: UP at 106.91 yen from 106.78 yen at 2140 GMT on Friday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.2310 from $1.2317
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3855 from $1.3865
Oil – West Texas Intermediate: UP 19 cents at $62.23 per barrel
Oil – Brent North Sea: UP 23 cents at $65.72 per barrel
New York – Dow: UP 1.8 percent at 25,335.74 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 7,224.51 (close)
© Agence France-Presse
