Asian markets extend Wall St rally after US data and ahead of Fed

HONG KONG, China — Asian markets rallied Monday, tracking a surge on Wall Street after data showing US inflation slowed further in June stoked hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.

The upbeat mood comes at the start of a busy week for traders, with the central banks of the United States and Japan making policy decisions, a key US jobs report due on Friday and megacaps releasing their earnings.

The gains helped claw back some of the hefty losses suffered last week after disappointing results from tech titans Tesla and Alphabet caused panic-selling among investors who had piled into the sector this year.

All three main indexes in New York jumped more than one percent Friday after the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation -- the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index -- slowed to 2.5 percent last month.

The reading, which was just above officials' two percent target, was the latest to boost bets on a rate cut in September, and pushed up expectations for two more before January.

Fed chief Jerome Powell sparked a rally in markets earlier in the month when he said decision-makers did not need to see the reading hit two percent before moving.

The bank is due to make an announcement Wednesday, ahead of the release of the closely watched non-farm payrolls report Friday.

However, analyst Stephen Innes said there were still risks ahead.

"It's a week to buckle up. A significant downside miss on the NFP could spell 'bad news is bad news' for stocks," he said in his Dark Side Of The Boom newsletter.

"While an upside beat might reduce the chances of one of those Fed rate cuts baked into the 2024 cake. This could strengthen the US dollar and spoil everyone's rate-cut party."

Asian investors were in a buoyant mood at the beginning of the week.

Tokyo piled on two percent after eight days of losses, while Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Manila were also up.

The Bank of Japan is also lined up to make an announcement Wednesday amid speculation it will hike rates again, having done so in March for the first time in 17 years as it shifts away from its ultra-loose policy.

Expectations for a rise, either this week or at the BoJ's next meeting, along with