Asian shares pause for US jobs, oil extends gains on Mideast risk
By Stella Qiu SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Asian shares held their breath on Friday for U.S. jobs data that could prove pivotal for next month's interest-rate decision by the Federal Reserve, while rising oil prices served as a reminder that Middle East tensions remain far from resolved. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan held flat and was down 0.4% for the week. Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.9% although it was set for a weekly rise of 1.2%.
By Stella Qiu SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Asian shares held their breath on Friday for U.S. jobs data that could prove pivotal for next month's interest-rate decision by the Federal Reserve, while rising oil prices served as a reminder that Middle East tensions remain far from resolved. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan held flat and was down 0.4% for the week. Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.9% although it was set for a weekly rise of 1.2%.
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