Asia Gains on U.S. Jobs Surge; Nikkei, Kospi Reach Records; U.S. Indices Mixed

Asia shares mostly gained on Thursday as Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 reached a new high of 57,748.81 and South Korea’s Kospi surpassed 5,500 at 5,485.71. Japan’s gains followed PM Sanae Takaichi’s election victory and expectations of supportive policies. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9% to 27,024.06, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 4,137.06. U.S. futures edged higher after the January non-farm payrolls report showed 130,000 new jobs, beating forecasts, and signaling a low probability of further Fed rate cuts. The S&P 500 closed 0.34 points lower at 6,941.47; the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 50,121.40; and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.2% to 23,066.47. Meanwhile, Bitcoin retreated to about half its October peak, weighing on Robinhood’s shares, which fell 8.8%. Exxon Mobil gained 2.6%, and Smurfit Westrock surged 9.9%. U.S. crude oil rose 40 cents to $65.03 per barrel, Brent crude 38 cents to $69.78 per barrel. Gold and silver prices declined; gold was at $5,079.30 per ounce and silver at $83.42 per ounce.