Global markets focus on US employment data

Although US nonfarm payrolls are set to increase after the agreement on the automotive strike, a comprehensive slowdown in employment is expected in the details of the data. Following the rise in US stock markets led by artificial intelligence companies, the Japanese yen effect is being observed in Asia Pacific. After Alphabet shares gained over 5 percent after Google introduced its new artificial intelligence model Gemini, the Nasdaq 100 closed Thursday up 1.4 percent. American stock futures are flat. The appreciation in the Japanese yen leads to a sharp decline in the shares of exporting companies. The Nikkei 225 diverged negatively in Asia Pacific. Hong Kong Hang Seng and mainland China indexes recorded moderate increases. The Bloomberg Dollar Index lost 0.1 percent to 1,239 points before the employment data. The US 10-year bond yield rose two basis points to 4.16 percent. Oil is set for its longest weekly decline since 2018, with the OPEC+ supply cut decision failing to halt the price decline.