- Swedish battery maker Northvolt to slash 1,600 jobs, quarter of staff
- Joshua says boxing career 'far from over' after Dubois defeat
- Stock markets inch higher on rate hopes
- 182 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
- Friedkin Group reach deal to buy Everton
- UniCredit ups stake in Commerzbank to 21 percent
- Big rate cut was 'appropriate' first step: Fed official
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone economy struggles
- Lebanon says 100 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds
- Man City's Akanji sends defiant title message after Arsenal battle
- Madrid's 'many styles' key to unbeaten streak: Ancelotti
- UK's Labour pledges economic rebuild amid free gifts row
- Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen to undergo knee operation
- French mass rape trial moves on to new defendants
- Israel warns Lebanese as intense strikes target Hezbollah
- UK's Labour looks to be more cheerful despite gifts and welfare row
- Eurozone business activity slumps after Olympics boost
- Russia, Ukraine cross swords in sea dispute court battle
- Albania plans Sufi Muslim microstate within its borders
- EU launches WTO challenge against China dairy probe
- Murdoch's REA ups offer for property website Rightmove
- India's one-horned rhino numbers charging ahead, govt says
- Rescuers comb muddy riverbanks after Japan floods kill seven
- Asian stocks boosted by US rate cut, China stimulus hope
- Sri Lanka's new leader says no magic solution to crisis
- Israel warns Lebanese as wave of strikes hits Hezbollah
- New Socceroos coach Popovic confident he can rescue World Cup campaign
- 'Put Austrians first': On a pub crawl with far-right voters
- Trial begins in Italy student murder case that opened eyes to femicide
- Family of murdered Sri Lanka editor seek justice from new president
- Austria's far right woos anti-vaxxers with fund for vaccine 'victims'
- Long wait for justice in India's backlogged courts
- Rohingya refugees detail worsening violence in Myanmar
- Rescuers comb muddy riverbanks after Japan floods kill six
- Sri Lankan leftist leader sworn in after landslide election win
- Indonesia, NZ deny Papua rebel claim 'bribe' paid for pilot release
- Swearing, shoeys and swift legs: Singapore GP talking points
- South Korea warns of 'decisive' action against trash balloons
- Football Australia names Tony Popovic as Socceroos coach
- Japan quake, flood victim attempts fresh start with wife's memory
- Japan quake, flood victim attemps fresh start with wife's memory
- Asian markets extend gains as focus turns to US inflation
- Six dead after floods in central Japan: media
- Australian golf prodigy suffers career-threatening eye injury
- Gaza hospital a symbol of the ruin of war
- October 7: how Israel's deadliest day unfolded
- Bibles, sneakers, silver coins: Trump's merch for sale
- Met Opera opens season with tech-heavy 'Grounded'
- Colombia's Inirida flower: from 'weed' to emblem for UN meeting
- Colombia rebel group imposes control in restive coca zone
Markets mostly up on US jobs data but rate worries linger
Asian markets mostly rose Monday as another strong jobs report provided some reassurance that the recovery in the US economy remained on track, though it also solidified expectations for more aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
The gains were helped by another recent drop in oil prices after the 31-nation International Energy Agency agreed to tap its vast reserves to offset the removal of Russian exports, while the start of a ceasefire in Yemen eased concerns over supplies from the region.
Officials said Friday that the world's top economy added 431,000 positions in March while the unemployment rate fell to just slightly above pre-pandemic levels.
The figures showed that while inflation has surged to a 40-year high and the Ukraine war has fanned uncertainty, the recovery continues.
The economy's resilience will be taken as further evidence that it could withstand a sharper rise in interest rates to bring prices under control, with many observers now predicting a half-point hike in May.
However, expectations that rates will continue to go up have seen Treasury yields surge with commentators saying there were warning signs that growth will slow as the year progresses.
"It would not be surprising to see yields rise further from here and it is very hard to know where they will land," Angela Ashton, of Evergreen Consultants, noted.
"Markets are volatile and there is every chance they will overshoot."
A positive close on Wall Street was followed by a broadly upbeat start to the week in Asia.
Hong Kong led gains thanks to a rally in tech firms after Beijing removed a rule preventing US authorities from inspecting the audits of Chinese companies listed in New York.
The announcement came after a drawn-out row between the two countries with Washington saying Chinese firms could be delisted by 2024 if they do not comply with audit requirements.
The demand put at risk more than 200 companies, including e-commerce titans Alibaba and JD.com and Tencent.
Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Mumbai, Seoul, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok also rose, though Wellington struggled.
London, Paris and Frankfurt all rose at the open.
Shanghai and Taipei were closed for a holiday.
Crude bounced after Friday's losses, responding to the IEA pledge to dip into stockpiles to shore up tight supplies caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The grouping made the promise at an emergency ministerial meeting, having already announced last week a plan to release more than 60 million barrels.
That came a day after US President Joe Biden said he would release a record 180 million barrels onto the market over six months.
Meanwhile, there was also some cheer from news of a 60-day ceasefire in Yemen's six-year civil war, which has seen several attacks on Saudi facilities that have hit output from the world's biggest producer.
Still, analysts said that while markets equity and crude markets have shown some stability after the wild swings seen at the start of the Ukraine war, uncertainty continued to act as a drag and traders remained nervous.
"Risk sentiment over the past week has been inconsistent," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
"Market signals could be characterised by a repetitive cat-and-mouse game whereby headlines initially emerge around the progress in ceasefire talks before being typically walked down by Russian officials who deny the odds of any close peace deal.
- Key figures around 0720 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 27,736.47 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent at 22,443.36
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,566.36
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.9 percent at $105.37 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $100.20 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1039 from $1.1049 late Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3129 from $1.3118
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.08 pence from 84.24 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 122.67 yen from 122.49 yen
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 34,818.27 (close)
C.Meier--BTB