Asian shares rise after weak US jobs report

Investors believe the Fed is unlikely to begin tightening monetary policy soon.


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By :  ,  Financial Analyst

Asian shares started the week on a positive note today (October 5th) after a weak US employment report released on Friday sparked speculation that the US Federal Reserve might delay an interest rate hike.

The US nonfarm payrolls report for September showed the employers created 142,000 jobs, below the expected 203,000 in a Reuters forecast.

Unemployment remained steady at 5.1 per cent, according to the Labor Department. Investors took the lower-than-expected jobs data as a sign the Fed is unlikely to begin tightening monetary policy soon.

According to CNBC, Fed funds futures are now pricing the first rate hike to come no earlier than March 2016.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.6 per cent to 21,796.32 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 soared 1.6 per cent to 18,005.49. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained two per cent to 5,150.50 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.4 per cent to 1,978.25. Markets in mainland China are closed for holidays until Thursday. 

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