Asian shares were mixed on Monday, as a reaction to US jobs data released at the end of last week.
Data showed that the US added 271,000 jobs in October, its highest figure for nearly a year. Unemployment also fell to 5 percent, the lowest since before the financial crisis.
Asian markets had a mixed reaction to the figures; Tokyo’s Nikkei rose 2 percent and the Shanghai Composite was up 1.6 percent, but the Australian S&P/ASX 200 index was down 1.83 percent.
The jobs data caused the dollar to bounce to a 7 month high, knocking commodity prices lower. Brent crude fell 0.8 percent to $47.81.
The markets were also affected by Chinese trade data released on Sunday, showing that the region still had more to do to stimulate domestic demand. Markets globally have been affected by uncertainty over a US rate hike, after Federal Reserve Chair Janey Yellen hinted last week that it was likely to come before the close of the year. Investors are now worrying that higher borrowing costs in the United States could hurt an already shaky global economy.
