The Wall Street Journal reports,''Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.1% to 14198.37, getting a boost from a slightly weaker yen. The Japanese currency was trading at ¥101.41 to the U.S. dollar in early Asian trade, from ¥101.35 late Wednesday in New York. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7% to 5105.90 while Korea's Kospi Index was up 0.9% to 1908.25''.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index—which has closed in the red for three straight sessions—was also higher, gaining 0.6% to 21,391.83. Macau casino stocks listed in the city rebounded after tumbling Wednesday on disappointing gaming revenue for the territory.Sands China Ltd. rose 6.6%, making it the top gainer on the index.
Gains in Asia came despite a weak session overnight on Wall Street, where all three of the main U.S. indexes finished with modest losses. Selling was driven by a report from payroll processor ADP that U.S. private-sector employers added 175,000 jobs in January, short of economists' expectations.
The data added to caution ahead of Friday's official U.S. employment report for January "There is just enough uncertainty to make players feel uncomfortable about committing too strongly to stocks right now, despite the recent market falls. Things could change on a dime and nobody wants to get caught in another rout if the numbers disappoint," said Chibagin Asset Management general manager Yoshihiro Okumura.
