HONG KONG (Nikkei Markets) -- Asian shares outside of Japan edged higher on Thursday amid expectations of a favourable U.S. monetary policy and improving U.S.-China trade relations. The Nikkei Asia300 Index of companies outside Japan rose 0.15% to 1,332.97.
Following downbeat U.S. services and payroll data on Wednesday, the focus of investors was back on the extent of Federal Reserve's monetary policy accommodation at this month's meeting. A quarter percentage interest rate cut is a near certainty, and in light of yesterday's weaker-than-expected data, the odds of a 50 basis-point rate cut got a boost.
