Asian markets on Friday rose as a surge in Hong Kong on its first day back from a break helped overcome a sharp drop on Wall Street, while forecast-beating earnings from Amazon.com Inc added to the positive mood ahead of the weekend.
However, a surprisingly hawkish tilt from the European Central Bank (ECB) added fuel to fears about the removal of COVID-19-era stimulus.
The ECB’s apparent shift in its outlook toward lifting rates this year itself stunned investors on Thursday. The news boosted the euro, which extended gains against the US dollar and sterling in Asian trade.
The ECB news jolted US markets,
All eyes are now on the release later in the day of US jobs data, which is often used as a guide for possible Federal Reserve policy decisions, before next week s eagerly awaited inflation report.