Asian markets are trading mixed on Thursday, following the broadly negative from Wall Street overnight, as stronger-than-expected US monthly jobs growth in January pushed back expectations of near term interest rate cuts by the US Fed. Traders are now awaiting Friday's US consumer price index report that may shed additional light on the outlook for rates. Asian markets closed mixed on Wednesday.
The data showed employment posting its largest increase in over a year in January and the unemployment rate unexpectedly declining, signaling a resilient labor market at the start of 2026.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.