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Japanese stocks head for finest week in 4 years as declining development worries raise markets

Asia shares were headed for a weekly gain on Friday and Japan's benchmark Nikkei was poised for its best week in over 4 years as upbeat risk sentiment overflowed from Wall Street, while the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields held broadly consistent.

Last week's market chaos was changed by calmer conditions this week after a raft of U.S. economic information allayed recession worries in the world's biggest economy and pushed back against expectations for aggressive U.S. rate cuts.

Our evaluation is that the marketplace fallout from the weak early August U.S. information was out of proportion and in big part reflected the rapid unwind of congested positions in some markets, stated Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economic expert at Capital Economics.

While the threat of an economic crisis in the U.S. has increased a. bit, there are couple of indications of a more considerable crisis. brewing.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan. sophisticated 0.34% in early trade and was set to. rise 1.3% for the week, while U.S. futures extended gains. following a strong overnight money session on Wall Street.

S&P 500 futures increased 0.09%, while Nasdaq futures. added 0.17%.

Strong U.S. retail sales data and low weekly jobless claims. were the current shot in the arm for the positive threat mood,. following a benign inflation report previously this week that. reaffirmed bets for imminent Fed rate cuts, however likely at a. measured pace.

Markets are now pricing in simply a 25% opportunity of a. 50-basis-point cut from the Federal Reserve next month, down. from 55% a week back, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

The totality of information tells us disinflation is continuing. and the Fed is almost specific to cut rates in September by. 25bps, stated David Chao, Invesco's global market strategist for. Asia Pacific ex-Japan.

However I do believe that the July inflation report decreases. the opportunities of a super-size cut, though this was never ever in the. cards.

Japan's Nikkei left to a strong start and leapt. 2.7%.

The Nikkei, which suffered heavy losses last week. worsened by the relaxing of yen-funded bring trades, was. poised for a weekly gain of 7.6%, its best performance since. April 2020.

Friday's gains were in part assisted by a weaker yen which. last stood at 149.08 per dollar, languishing near a. two-week low of 149.40 hit in the previous session and some. distance away from recently's seven-month peak.

The Swiss franc, which also rose last week on. the back of a flight to safety, was little bit altered at 0.8716 per. dollar and looked set to lose 0.7% for the week.

In other currencies, the euro struggled to break. above the $1.10 level versus a firmer dollar, which was buoyed. by raised U.S. Treasury yields.

The two-year yield hovered near an over one-week. high and last stood at 4.0846%, while the benchmark 10-year. yield steadied at 3.9112%.

In products, oil rates edged lower on Friday, though. were set for a weekly gain as the positive U.S. financial data. alleviated financier stress over a possible economic crisis in the top. oil consuming nation.

Brent crude futures dipped 0.19% to $80.88 per. barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures. eased 0.28% to $77.94 a barrel. Still, the 2 were eyeing a. weekly gain of more than 1%.

Spot gold ticked up 0.07% to $2,457.79 an ounce.

(source: Reuters)