SINGAPORE (Nikkei Markets) - Shares in Singapore and Malaysia kicked off the quarter on a positive note, even as investor attention remained firmly on the outlook for U.S. economic and trade policies ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Nikkei Asia300 Index, which tracks over 300 of the region's most influential companies, rose 0.5%, shrugging off weak Wall Street cues. U.S. President Trump is due to meet his Chinese counterpart on April 6 and 7; a meeting he last week warned would be "very difficult" after raising concern about a growing U.S. trade deficit. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will release minutes of its March meeting, where it raised rates by 25 basis points. U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for last month will be out Friday.
