📈 Asian Markets Rebound as Cooling US Jobs Data Eases Rate Hike Fears

• Market Movement: After two days of declines, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (ex-Japan) rose 1.3%. Japan's Nikkei 225 reversed early losses to trade 0.7% higher, while South Korea's Kospi jumped 3.0% driven by a rebound in chipmaker stocks. • Economic Activity (PMIs): June regional Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data showed strong economic expansion. Japan's services sector returned to expansion, while China’s services activity expanded with overseas demand hitting a 20-month high. • US Factor: A lukewarm US jobs report for June showed sharply slowed job growth, dropping the unemployment rate to 4.2% as workers left the labor force. This cooling labor market doused expectations of a near-term Federal Reserve rate hike, pushing up the probability of steady rates in September to 46.8% (up from 35.8%). • Currency & Commodities: The US dollar index fell 0.2% to 100.80, with the dollar flat against the Yen at 161.125 amid holiday-thinned liquidity and intervention watches. Brent crude futures edged up 0.5% to US$ 72.12 a barrel, while Gold jumped 1.4% to US$ 4,179.73. _Note: Global macroeconomic shifts like US interest rate pauses and rising regional demand heavily impact external facing sectors in Sri Lanka, including apparel & textiles, tea exports, and logistics._