All the Asian equity indices are trading higher in the early deals on Monday, following a solid lead in the US last week after the February job data came in better than expected while inflation concerns faded. The US Labor Department said that non-farm payroll employment surged up by 313,000 jobs in February, the biggest gain since mid-2016. Meanwhile, the annual rate of growth in average hourly employee earnings slowed, easing worries about faster interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, the Japanese market is rising, tracking the gains on Wall Street following the release of better-than-expected US jobs data and on improved risk appetite as geopolitical tensions eased after US President Donald Trump agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Nikkei 225 rose 295.15 points or 1.37% to 21,764.35, Hang Seng jumped 472.96 points or 1.53% to 31,469.17, Taiwan Weighted strengthened 132 points or 1.21% to 10,996.82, Jakarta Composite gained 32.66 points or 0.51% to 6,465.98, KOSPI Index spurt 24.94 points or 1.01% to 2,484.39, Shanghai Composite added 17.01 points or 0.51% to 3,324.18, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI increased 15.06 points or 0.82% to 1,858.98 and Straits Times up by 54.99 points or 1.58% to 3,540.56.
