Asia stocks gain as lower bond yields buoy tech; oil sags
bond yields continued to decline.
Japanese government bond yields dipped to the lowest since mid-August as U.S. Treasury yields hovered close to a three-month trough.
Meanwhile, crude oil sank to a nearly five-month low, while bullion held steady after dropping back from an all-time high.
Bitcoin traded just below $44,000 following its surge this week to a 20-month peak.
U.S. 10-year Treasury yields held steady at around 4.186% after touching 4.163% on Tuesday as cooling labour market data cemented views that the Federal Reserve is done hiking rates, with bets on a first cut coming by March now at around 64%, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool.
Benchmark JGBs yields slid in sympathy, reaching the lowest since Aug.
16 at 0.62%.
Lower borrowing costs boosted equity markets, with big tech a particular beneficiary.
Japan's Nikkei surged 1.6%, rebounding from Tuesday's mid-November low, while Australia's stock benchmark jumped 1.4% and South Korea's KOSPI added 0.56%.
U.S. stock futures also pointed higher, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq indicated up 0.4% following a 0.31% advance overnight for the cash index.
S&P 500 futures rose 0.26%, after the cash index ended Tuesday flat.
Overnight, U.S. jobs figures came in softer than expected, but coupled with robust services data, added to the narrative for a soft landing for the economy as the Fed shifts to monetary easing, analysts said.
The «selloff in yields across the curve is strong evidence of the intense focus the market has on this week's labour market data,» with the ADP employment report due later on Wednesday and non-farm payrolls on Friday, said IG analyst Tony Sycamore.
For the Nasdaq, «although we remain bullish into year-end, we are not contemplating
