GLOBAL MARKETS: Asia shares pause as region awaits US jobs data

SYDNEY - 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 .MISX00000PUS held flat and was down 0.4% for the week. Japan's Nikkei .N225 dropped 0.9% although it was set for a weekly rise of 1.2%.

South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 slipped 0.5% and was down 5.0% for the week for a seventh straight week of declines. The index had doubled in the first half of the year, swept up by the blistering demand for AI-linked chip stocks. China's CSI 300 .CSI300 rose 0.2%.

After bouts of volatility sparked by concerns over the durability of the AI-driven rally, investors are now squarely focused on the U.S. payrolls report due later in the day, which could prove crucial for the interest-rate outlook. Forecasts are centred on a rise of 80,000 jobs for July after a 57,000 gain in June, with the unemployment rate forecast to hold steady at 4.2%.

The stakes are high as markets cannot seem to make up their mind about how the Federal Reserve might move next month, with a rate hike seen as a coin toss. 0#USDIRPR

"With yields and inflation still the key risks for stocks, we expect Friday's NFP to trade as a 'good news is bad news' print," said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan, adding that a strong jobs number would reinforce higher-for-longer pricing and put upward pressure on rates.

Conversely, equities may respond positively to a soft payrolls report as yields ease and policy expectations shift toward a dovish path, added Feroli.

Nasdaq futures NQc1 were flat while S&P 500 futures slipped 0.1%. European bourses are set for a lower open, with pan-region stock futures STXEc1 down 0.2%.

OIL CLIMBS AGAIN

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Yemen's Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia, a major oil supplier. Riyadh has warned coordinated attacks by the Houthis and Iran-backed Iraqi militias were imminent.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 gained 1% to $83.38 a barrel, after jumping 3.8% overnight. They were, however, still set for a weekly loss of 7.5% and remained well off their recent peak of $102 a barrel two weeks ago.

Iran is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S., Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The draft bill would impose fines of up to 20% of a ship's cargo value for violations of the proposed restrictions.

Higher oil prices lifted Treasury yields. The 2-year note US2YT=RR yield held at 4.2496% in Asia, after rising 7 basis points overnight, while the ten-year yield US10YT=RR steadied at 4.6757%, having gained 5 bps overnight.

The dollar was steady in Asia on Friday after bouncing overnight.

Against the Japanese yen JPY=, the dollar traded at 158.51 yen, after rising 0.4% overnight to break above the 200-day average of around 158. The U.S. jobs report could decide the next moves in the yen after last week's historic currency market intervention from Japan and the U.S. sparked a sharp rally.

Spot gold XAU= rose 0.1% to $4,243 an ounce, while spot silver XAG= rose 0.5% to $61.78 an ounce. GOL/

(Reporting by Stella QiuEditing by Shri Navaratnam)