Equities rallied on Monday after a big miss on US jobs creation gave the Federal Reserve breathing room to hold off an interest rate hike this month, while traders were also cheered by another drop in oil prices that eased inflation concerns. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index inched up 68 points, or 0.3 percent, to 24,040 on light turnover of HK$98.1 billion. The tech index was 25 points, or 0.6 percent, up at 4,183 while the China Enterprises Index was 21 points, or 0.3 percent, higher at 8,051. The gains came after highly anticipated US non-farm payrolls data showed the world's top economy created just 29,000 jobs in September – well short of forecasts for around 90,000 – while the readings for the previous two months were also revised down, with July's showing posts were actually lost. Markets immediately repriced the likelihood of a Fed rate hike, with CME's FedWatch tool seeing just over a 20 percent chance, compared with more than 65 percent early last week. Expectations that interest rates would be lifted at least once more this year – after September's hike – have sent government borrowing costs soaring, with 10-year US Treasury yields last week hitting a 24-year high. The spike has been driven by stubbornly high inflation, government spending and an increase in companies borrowing to pay for their AI investments. "The recent hiring trend has settled into that not-too-hot, not-too-cold Goldilocks porridge zone of roughly 40,000 to 60,000 jobs a month," wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. "Core PCE [personal consumption expenditure] is still uncomfortable at three percent year over year, but the shorter-term pulse has cooled noticeably," he added, referring to the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation. "Put the two together, and October starts looking less like a meeting the Fed needs to attack and more like one it can comfortably sit through, spoon still in hand, while December remains the bowl with a little more heat in it." With the prospect of borrowing costs being kept on hold for now, tech-rich markets were the big beneficiaries as such firms rely on debt to drive their vast investments. In Tokyo, the Nikkei posted a three-month closing high 69,946 on gains of 1,637 or 2.4 percent, driven by AI-related stocks after Wall Street's gains at the end of last week. The broader Topix rose 54 points, or 1.33 percent, to 4,145. Seoul and Shanghai were closed for holidays. The mood was also helped by G7 leaders' decision to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their reserves over four months and to "refrain from export restrictions on energy". The move followed pressure from US President Donald Trump to tap the European Union's strategic diesel reserves or face a US ban on diesel exports. Also, Saudi Arabia slashed the price of its benchmark grade to Asia to US$5 below the regional benchmark. But while exports of crude from the Middle East, excluding Iran, surpassed their pre-war levels last week – according to maritime tracking firm Kpler – the situation for fuels such as diesel remains tight, owing to refineries being damaged during the conflict. (Reuters) Edited by Tony Sabine

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