TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares edged higher on Friday and oil prices
continued to rebound but investors remained wary ahead of the U.S.
nonfarm payrolls report for January later in the session.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up about 0.1 percent, on track for a weekly gain of more than 1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average was up 0.7 percent, poised for a small weekly loss after shedding 1 percent on Thursday.
Economists polled by Reuters expected U.S. employers to have taken on 234,000 workers in January, below December's increase of 252,000. The jobless rate was expected to remain at a 6-1/2-year low of 5.6 percent, while average hourly earnings were forecast to show a rise of 0.3 percent following the previous month's fall of 0.2 percent. [ECONUS]
"The main focus for the market is whether earnings bounce back as expected, after last month's surprise drop," said Ayako Sera, market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in Tokyo.
"Another market focus now is Greece, which is a situation that will take time to develop. It might be difficult for stocks to rise too much in the meantime," she added.
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MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up about 0.1 percent, on track for a weekly gain of more than 1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average was up 0.7 percent, poised for a small weekly loss after shedding 1 percent on Thursday.
Economists polled by Reuters expected U.S. employers to have taken on 234,000 workers in January, below December's increase of 252,000. The jobless rate was expected to remain at a 6-1/2-year low of 5.6 percent, while average hourly earnings were forecast to show a rise of 0.3 percent following the previous month's fall of 0.2 percent. [ECONUS]
"The main focus for the market is whether earnings bounce back as expected, after last month's surprise drop," said Ayako Sera, market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in Tokyo.
"Another market focus now is Greece, which is a situation that will take time to develop. It might be difficult for stocks to rise too much in the meantime," she added.
Read more Click here / www.trade4x.net
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