Daily Times

Asian markets ticked higher in holiday-thinned trade Friday with all eyes on the release of US jobs data later in the day.

The closely watched report comes after a series of releases this week pointed to a softening of the labour market, suggesting Federal Reserve rate hikes over the past year are kicking in.

Analysts said a strong reading could deal a blow to markets as it would put further pressure on the US central bank to lift borrowing costs more.

However, a lower-than-expected figure would allow officials to take their foot off the pedal, though it could also add to worries that the world’s top economy was heading for a recession.

After a positive lead from Wall Street in muted trade, Asia’s few open markets advanced.

Seoul led gains, piling on more than one percent as heavyweight Samsung rallied after it said it would cut chip production owing to weak demand, lifting hopes for a spike in prices. Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok and Taipei were also up. European and US markets are also closed, while there was no oil trading. Fresh US government unemployment data on Thursday showed there were 228,000 new applications for unemployment aid last week, above analyst expectations.

That followed Wednesday’s news that services sector activity grew less than forecast last month, while a separate report pointed to private employers slowing their hiring pace in March. “All the employment data leading up to the nonfarm payroll report has confirmed a clear trend that a labour market slowdown has begun,” said OANDA’s Edward Moya.

Expectations for Fed rates have lowered over the past month after banking sector turmoil — largely blamed on the sharp hikes — sparked fears of another financial crisis.