S&P 500 Hits Record Ahead of US Jobs Data, Trump Finalizes Japan Deal

The S&P 500 added 0.8% to a new peak while the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.9% on Thursday. US futures edged higher in early Asian trading ahead of Friday's August jobs report. The Nikkei 225 index rose by more than 1% after President Donald Trump signed an executive order implementing his trade agreement with Japan. We get the latest from Balazs Penz, Bloomberg News Desk Editor in Hong Kong. He speaks with Bloomberg's Avril Hong and Paul Allen on The Asia Trade. The policy-sensitive US two-year yield fell three basis points to the lowest in around a year Thursday. Money markets almost fully priced in a Fed reduction this month and see at least two by year-end. The action reflected the latest readings on hiring and unemployment claims before Friday's jobs data, which is expected to extend the weakest stretch of US job growth since the pandemic. Slowing demand, rising costs and President Donald Trump's unpredictable trade policies have cooled hiring, adding pressure on the Fed to shore up the labor market. We get market perspective from David Chao, Global Market Strategist, Asia Pacific at Invesco. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.