Investing.com - Asian stock markets were higher on Monday, as sentiment was boosted by surprisingly upbeat U.S. employment data although concerns over the lack of progress in Greek debt talks continued to weigh.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged up 0.02%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index jumped 1.05%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 1.10%.
The U.S. Department of Labor said on Friday that the economy added 243,000 jobs last month, the fastest increase in nine months, bringing the unemployment rate to a three-year low of 8.3%.
But concerns over Greece’s debt remained as a number of conditions demanded by the "Troika," representing Greece's European Union, European Central Bank and IMF lenders, were still outstanding. Athens was to tell the EU by Monday whether they accept the stern terms of a new bailout deal.
The solid U.S. data gave exporters a boost as Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor and Honda Motor surged 3%, 3.28% and 2.90% respectively.
Meanwhile, Panasonic, the world’s largest maker of plasma televisions, jumped 6.34% after saying profit may recover after a record loss.
Nikon also soared 11.15% as the world’s second-biggest maker of professional-grade cameras raised its profit forecast on higher-than-expected sales.
On the downside, Elpida Memory tumbled 3.17% after U.S. rival Micron Technology CEO and Chairman Steve Appleton died in a plane crash on Friday, casting doubt over whether possible acquisition plans for the troubled Japanese company can move forward.
Elsewhere, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China declined 0.47%, 0.90% and 0.65% respectively after their state parent confirmed late on Friday it planned to lower their dividend payouts to help boost their money supply.
Looking ahead, the outlook for European stock markets was upbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a surge of 1.67%, France’s CAC 40 futures jumped 1.52%, London’s FTSE 100 futures climbed 1.81%, while Germany's DAX futures soared 1.67%.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to publish a report on investor confidence, while Germany was to publish official data on factory orders.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged up 0.02%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index jumped 1.05%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 1.10%.
The U.S. Department of Labor said on Friday that the economy added 243,000 jobs last month, the fastest increase in nine months, bringing the unemployment rate to a three-year low of 8.3%.
But concerns over Greece’s debt remained as a number of conditions demanded by the "Troika," representing Greece's European Union, European Central Bank and IMF lenders, were still outstanding. Athens was to tell the EU by Monday whether they accept the stern terms of a new bailout deal.
The solid U.S. data gave exporters a boost as Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor and Honda Motor surged 3%, 3.28% and 2.90% respectively.
Meanwhile, Panasonic, the world’s largest maker of plasma televisions, jumped 6.34% after saying profit may recover after a record loss.
Nikon also soared 11.15% as the world’s second-biggest maker of professional-grade cameras raised its profit forecast on higher-than-expected sales.
On the downside, Elpida Memory tumbled 3.17% after U.S. rival Micron Technology CEO and Chairman Steve Appleton died in a plane crash on Friday, casting doubt over whether possible acquisition plans for the troubled Japanese company can move forward.
Elsewhere, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China declined 0.47%, 0.90% and 0.65% respectively after their state parent confirmed late on Friday it planned to lower their dividend payouts to help boost their money supply.
Looking ahead, the outlook for European stock markets was upbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a surge of 1.67%, France’s CAC 40 futures jumped 1.52%, London’s FTSE 100 futures climbed 1.81%, while Germany's DAX futures soared 1.67%.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to publish a report on investor confidence, while Germany was to publish official data on factory orders.