MARKETS

Nikkei gains 3% in the last four days of the week on robust employment report from the US.

Dollar rises to highest level in more than four years.

Japanese firms' shares zoom on the back of weak yen which is boosting exports.

Unemployment rate declines to 5.5% in April from 5.6% in March.

Markets await a string of key regional data apart from quarterly earnings reports.

The interest rate cut along with supplementary budget is expected to help accelerate economic recovery.

Food prices rise 4% on an annual basis in April as bad weather and lower rainfall lowered vegetable supplies.

Most Asian indices near a two-year peak boosted by positive earnings reports.

Investors are awaiting earnings reports despite positive Asia performance.

China's recorded a trade surplus of $18.2bn in April from a deficit of $884m in March.

Asian markets continue to gain for the third day in the week.

Societe Generale profit halves, while Credit Agricole reports 51% profit decline.

The Nikkei rises above 14,000 for the first time since June 2008.

The final eurozone composite output index shows a reading of 46.9 in April, the 15th consecutive month of decline in activity.

Services PMI declines to 44.4 from 45.3 in March due to the economic crisis.

The economy is expected to grow at 8%, following a 7.7% growth in the first quarter.

An unexpected improvement in the US labour market lifts Asian market sentiments.

The RBI has cut repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.25%, its third cut this year.

Analysts expect the US non-farm payrolls to increase by 140,000 workers after an 88,000 gain in March.

The weak growth in the manufacturing and services sectors hints at China's fragile economic recovery.

The ECB's rate cut and an unexpected decline in US jobless claims revive investors' hopes for global recovery.

Markets worry that country's economic growth will be slower for second consecutive quarter.

Asia has shed previous week's gains after weak data from the US and China brought back global growth concerns.

Weak job data with unemployment rising to 12.1% expected to prompt European Central Bank to cut interest rates at next meeting.

Investors expect the ECB and the US Federal Reserve to continue their growth-supportive monetary policies.

The central banks across the globe are expected to continue their growth-supporting monetary policies.

Visitors from mainland China queued outside Hong Kong jewellery stores near the border and cleared shelves after a drop in the price of gold.

Eurozone's economic morale index falls to 88.6 in April, down for a second consecutive month.

Italy's new coalition government is set to announce its economic policies and growth agenda.