London, UK (BBN)– Asian shares traded mostly higher as investors awaited a US jobs report to see if it would support a Federal Reserve move to raise interest rates.
A strong jobs report could give the central bank reason to stick to its tightening schedule at the next policy meeting on 17 March, reports BBC.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was up 1.1% to 18,948.24 – a fresh 15-year high – thanks to a weaker yen.
The dollar rose to 120.10 yen, up from 119.85 on Thursday.
A weaker yen is a positive for Japanese exporters as it makes them more competitive abroad and inflates profits when repatriated.
Shares of Sharp were up 1.7% after a local report that it had asked a corporate turnaround fund, Japan Industrial Solutions, to take a stake of up to $250m (£164m) to help with the electronic’s giant’s restructuring.
Chinese shares opened higher with the Shanghai Composite up 0.1% to 3,251.47.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was higher 0.2% to 24,249.36.
In Australia, shares headed lower with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 down 0.3% to 5,884.2.
Meanwhile, South Korean shares were up with the Kospi index higher by 0.3% to 2,004.84.
BBN/SSR/AD-06Mar15-11:21 am (BST)
