Asian Markets Rise on U.S. Jobs Data, Trade Talks Boost Sentiment

Asian stocks climbed on Monday as investors reacted to stronger-than-expected U.S. job numbers and awaited high-stakes trade talks between the U.S. and China. Wall Street’s Friday rally, driven by the May jobs report, eased concerns over economic fallout from President Trump’s tariff policies, boosting global market sentiment.

The MSCI Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose 0.5%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index jumped 1.3%, breaching 24,000 for the first time since March. Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.9%. The U.S. dollar slipped 0.3% against the yen to 144.39 after Friday’s 0.9% surge. The euro advanced 0.2% to $1.1422.

Despite market optimism, political unrest in California dampened risk appetite. Over the weekend, President Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles amid ongoing immigration-related protests.

Investors are closely watching trade talks in London where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. The meeting will focus on critical minerals, a key area of economic tension, following a rare call between Trump and President Xi Jinping.

May’s U.S. employment report showed 139,000 new jobs, topping forecasts of 130,000 but below April’s 147,000. Attention now shifts to U.S. inflation data due Wednesday, which could influence Federal Reserve rate cut expectations.

Analysts say trade policy remains a major macroeconomic uncertainty. Positive signals from the talks could extend market gains. However, rising social unrest in the U.S. adds caution to the outlook.

Elsewhere, spot gold fell 0.2% to $3,303.19 an ounce, while U.S. crude held steady at $64.56 a barrel after recent gains.