Stocks in Asia Pacific rose in Friday morning trade after U.S. nonfarm payrolls released overnight beat expectations, raising optimism over the prospects of an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
In Japan, both the Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes rose 0.55% in early trade. South Korea's Kospi also advanced 0.46%.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.33%.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded 0.13% higher.
Investors will watch for reaction to the overnight U.S. jobs print, where nonfarm payrolls surged by 4.8 million in June, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The figure smashed expectations by economists surveyed by Dow Jones of a 2.9 million increase in jobs created. The unemployment rate dropped to 11.1%, lower than the 12.4% forecast by economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
The Labor Department also said, however, that initial jobless claims rose by 1.427 million in the week ending June 27. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected initial U.S. jobless claims to rise by another 1.38 million.
National Australia's Bank's Rodrigo Catril wrote in a note that the nonfarm payrolls and jobless claims data "delivered contrasting images" of the state of the US labor market.
"While June data reflected a big improvement in the US labour market, the recent sharp acceleration in new virus cases plus the prospect of an end to unemployment benefits by the end of July are two big layers of uncertainty," Catril said. Numerous states in the U.S. have paused or reversed plans to ease restrictions as new coronavirus cases spiked countrywide.
Looking ahead, a private survey of China's services sector activity for June is expected on Friday, with the Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Manager's Index set to be released around 9:45 a.m. HK/SIN.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 92.39 points higher, or 0.4%, at 25,827.36. The Nasdaq Composite hit a record high, rising 0.5% to end its trading day at 10,207.63. The S&P 500 also gained 0.5% to close at 3,130.01. U.S. markets will be closed on Friday for the July Fourth holiday.
Oil prices fell in the morning of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 1.07% to $42.68 per barrel. The U.S. crude futures contract shed 1.03% to $40.23 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was last at 97.225 after earlier rising from levels below 97.2.
The Japanese yen traded at 107.47 per dollar after seeing lows beyond 108 earlier in the trading week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.6915 following its rise this week from levels around $0.684.
Here's a look at what's on tap:
- China: Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Manager's Index at 9:45 a.m. HK/SIN
— CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.
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July 03, 2020 at 07:17AM
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Asia Pacific stocks rise as U.S. jobs report beats expectations - CNBC
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