(Adds China data, BOJ outlook)
* Nikkei gains, Nasdaq futures edge up
* Oil firm amid confusion over Gulf peace talks
* Market pares US rate risk as CPI test looms
By Wayne Cole
SYDNEY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Asian share markets tracked Wall
Street higher on Monday after a soft U.S. jobs report pared the
risk of a near-term rise in borrowing costs, though a lack of
progress in Gulf peace talks saw oil prices creep higher.
Iran said on Sunday that a deal with Oman defining new shipping
lanes in the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages but
reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once the United
States met other conditions.
Brent crude added 1.0% to $84.40 a barrel as shipping
through the vital waterway remained at a trickle, while U.S.
crude rose 0.8% to $78.80 a barrel.
The latest revival in fuel costs raises the stakes for the
U.S. July consumer price report due on Wednesday where analysts
look for a rise of 0.1% in the headline and 0.2% for the core.
Any upside surprise could rekindle speculation of a hike
from the Federal Reserve next month.
"Our forecast for core CPI of 0.22% is probably not quite
firm enough to prompt a hike from the Fed at the September
meeting, though repeated prints closer to 0.3% could do it,"
said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan.
"One thing we are watching for is any rebound in core goods
prices after a two-month stretch in which they fell."
The futures market has scaled back the chance of a
September move to around 44%, from 67% a week ago.
The pullback in rate risk helped Treasuries rally on Friday
and saw Wall Street close at record highs. Japan's Nikkei
followed that lead and rose 2.0%, while South Korea
added 1.1%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
edged up 0.8%.
Chinese blue chips eased 0.4% after data showed
consumer and producer price inflation came in under forecasts in
July, underlining the softness of domestic demand.
DOUBLE-DIGIT EARNINGS GROWTH
For Europe, EUROSTOXX 50 futures and DAX futures
both dipped 0.1%, while FTSE futures fell 0.4%.
S&P 500 futures were flat, while Nasdaq futures
firmed 0.2%, having climbed 5% last week amid a slew of
upbeat earnings reports.
Analysts at BofA noted that with nearly 90% of S&P 500
results in, earnings per share were up 30% on the year after
excluding investment gains at Alphabet and Amazon. A 76% EPS
beat rate matched the strongest level since 2021.
"AI remains the stand out, with median EPS growth of 28% versus
12% for non-AI-related stocks, though consensus expects AI to
slow to 16% next quarter," they said in a note.
Earnings are lighter this week but include semiconductor
company Applied Materials ( AMAT ), networking equipment maker
Cisco ( CSCO ) and cloud infrastructure technology company
CoreWeave ( CRWV ).
In bond markets, yields on 10-year Treasuries
were a shade higher at 4.662% with the market bracing for $125
billion in new issuance this week.
The drop in yields and general improvement in risk had
pulled the U.S. dollar broadly lower, with the euro just off a
seven-week top at $1.1554.
The dollar added 0.2% on the yen to 158.23, though
investors were still wary of intervention should they push the
yen down too far.
Bank of Japan policy makers warned of mounting inflation risks
that could require a nimble, faster-than-expected pace of
interest rate increases, a summary of opinions at their July
meeting showed, boosting the case for a September hike.
In commodity markets, the drop in yields helped
non-interest-paying gold hold at $4,320 an ounce, having
climbed more than 7% last week.