Asian shares edged away from a four-week low on Monday, while the dollar rose against the euro and yen as a surprise surge in U.S. jobs growth signalled the world's largest economy was on a firmer footing.
U.S. employers took on 204,000 new employees last month, almost twice the number forecast by analysts and defying expectations that the partial U.S. government shutdown would hamper job growth.
The strong data raised the prospect the Federal Reserve may soon decide to start winding down its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying programme.
But Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and two other top policymakers suggested continued support for the U.S. central bank's massive stimulus campaign.
Adding to the positive sentiment, China's factory output and investment data pointed to signs of stabilisation in the economy, though annual inflation climbed to an eight-month high in October, fuelling market worries about policy tightening.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.1 percent after shedding 1 percent on Friday to a four-week low.
Australian shares firmed after the robust Chinese data, reflecting the countries' strong trade. The S&P/ASX 200 index gained 0.4 percent, while the Australian dollar stabilised at $0.9373, having fallen 0.8 percent in the previous session.
Source: Reuters
