[HONG KONG] Asian shares extended a global rise on Wednesday following data indicating the US economy remained resilient, with South Korean equities and the won standing out as the election of a new president ended months of political paralysis.
Speculation that US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak this week stoked optimism for a soothing of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
However, Trump’s ramped-up tariffs on aluminium and steel imports – announced on Friday – are due to kick in later Wednesday, highlighting the uncertainty caused by the White House’s off-the-cuff policies.
Traders in Asia took the baton from a positive Wall Street, where all three main indexes were lifted by data showing US job openings unexpectedly rose in April, calming worries about the impact of Trump’s tariff blitz on the world’s number one economy.
The reading came ahead of crucial non-farm payrolls figures on…
