- Federal Reserve would soon begin reducing interest rates were stoked by less-than-expected U.S. jobs data.
- Investors were waiting for China’s April trade data on Thursday.
- S&P Global announced the composite purchasing managers’ index readings for Hong Kong on Monday.
Monday witnessed advances in Asia-Pacific markets as expectations that the Federal Reserve would soon begin reducing interest rates were stoked by less-than-expected U.S. jobs data.
Investors were waiting for China’s April trade data on Thursday and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rate announcement on Tuesday. Australia’s inflation report surprised analysts, who noted that the labor market had softened significantly and that the country’s economy had slowed down more. They therefore predict that the RBA’s current rate of 4.35% won’t alter.
Asian stocks
S&P Global announced the composite purchasing managers’ index readings for Hong Kong on Monday. The service PMI readings for mainland China and India were also made public. On account of a public holiday, markets in South Korea and Japan are closed.
The S&P/ASX 200 index in Australia increased 0.7% to end the day at 7,682.4, its third straight day of gains. Stocks in the United States surged precipitously following a lower-than-expected April jobs data. 175,000 new jobs were gained in April, according to the nonfarm payrolls data, less than the 240,000 jobs predicted by Dow Jones’ panel of experts.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment rate increased a little to 3.9% from 3.8% in the previous month’s report. Additionally, wage data was lower than anticipated, which is positive for inflation.
The GDP of Indonesia increased by 5.11% in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous three quarters, which was its fastest growth rate. Southeast Asia‘s largest economy shrank by 0.83% on a quarter-over-quarter basis, less than the 0.89% predicted by a Reuters poll. Following the announcement of a 19.03% year-over-year increase in April revenue, Foxconn, the maker of iPhones, saw a surge in its shares of up to 6.73%.
