Stock market today: Asian shares track Wall St's advance fueled by cooler jobs data

Release time：2024-05-19 14:14:03 Source：Stellar Signals news portal

Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday after Wall Street ended last week with the stock market’s best day in over two months in a rally backed by the cooler-than-expected U.S. employment data.

U.S. futures edged higher and oil prices rose.

The Japanese yen weakened slightly after its value swung from a low of 160.25 to the U.S. dollar to 151.86 late last week following suspected government intervention. The dollar bought 153.93 yen, up from 152.90 yen.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told a gathering at the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting Friday, held in Tiblisi, Georgia, that rapid fluctuations were hurting households and businesses.

The euro rose to $1.0765 from $1.0763.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.2% to 18,447.12 while the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.9% to 3,133.92 as markets reopened after a weeklong holiday. A private sector survey Monday showed the country’s services sector grew at a slower pace in April due to rising costs although new orders rose and business sentiment improved.

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