Asian and US equities opened the week firmer after a weaker-than-expected US jobs report and downward revisions reduced the perceived chance of a Federal Reserve rate rise this month.
Equities started Monday, 5 October 2026, higher and the dollar softer after a weaker-than-expected US employment report reduced bets on another Federal Reserve rate increase this month, Reuters reported. Trading was thin in parts of Asia because of holidays in China, South Korea and New South Wales.
Reuters said September job growth slowed more than expected and that payroll counts for the prior two months were revised sharply lower. Investors priced about a 22 percent chance of a Fed rate rise this month, down from about 64 percent a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool cited by Reuters.
Japan's Nikkei was up about 2 percent early, Australian stocks added about 0.5 percent, and MSCI's Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan ticked about 0.15 percent higher, Reuters reported. ABC News said the ASX 200 was up about 0.2 percent at 8,696 in Monday trade after Friday's 0.8 percent gain, and that Wall Street had risen on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.7 percent and the Nasdaq up 1.2 percent.
ABC reported spot gold around $4,150 an ounce and Brent crude futures around $101.54 a barrel in its Monday market snapshot. Those commodity levels sat alongside the equity rebound rather than a single new supply shock.
The jobs figures are the main driver of the Monday move. Officials have not announced a change in the Fed's policy rate; the shift is in market pricing ahead of the next meeting.