* Al eyes on U.S. non-farm payrolls data due 1330 GMT
* Euro regains some ground, but Greek debt crisis weighs
* Gold rises, with resistance seen around $1,150
By Nick Macfie
SINGAPORE, March 5 (Reuters) - Asian shares surged on
Friday after encouraging U.S. retail sales and jobs data
suggested Asia's biggest export market was stabilising, while
the euro remained on the defensive amid the Greece debt crisis.
Investors now have their sights firmly set on the monthly
U.S. report on non-farm payrolls, due out later on Friday, the
most closely watched figures on the U.S. labour market.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei average <> closed up 2.2
percent at 10,368.96, while the broader Topix <> gained
1.47 percent.
The MSCI index of Asian shares outside Japan
<.MIAPJ0000PUS> was up 0.83 percent.
Also boosting share sentiment in Tokyo, the Nikkei
newspaper said that the Bank of Japan was examining a further
easing of its already ultra-loose monetary policy and may make
a decision on such a move as early as this month.
[]
"In addition to a solid performance from the U.S. stocks,
investors are welcoming a halt in the yen's advance against the
dollar after a media report that the BOJ is considering
additional easing measures," said Mitsuo Shimizu, deputy
general manager at Cosmo Securities.
The dollar rose 0.2 percent against the yen to 89.23 <JPY=>
as investors grew cautious about selling the U.S. currency too
far, worried that views on U.S. payroll numbers due later in
the day may have been too pessimistic. The dollar index <.DXY>
was steady at 80.52.
"If dollar/yen climbs back above 90 yen, the Nikkei could
break out of range-bound trade, with the next target likely
being around 10,500," Shimizu said,
The euro remained on the defensive as a short squeeze in
the single currency appeared to have run its course, with
investors fretting about debt-laden Greece and Moody's cutting
Deutsche Bank's ratings. [].
The euro stood at $1.3592 <EUR=>, edging up 0.1 percent. It
recovered from its 0.8 percent loss the day before when it
moved in choppy trade following a robust response to a Greek
debt auction.
The euro gained 0.3 percent against the yen <EURJPY=R> and
the Australian dollar rose 0.1 percent to 80.30 yen <AUDJPY=R>.
The single currency has lost nearly 10 percent since
November last year when sovereign debt problems surrounding
Greece and other peripheral euro zone economies emerged.
U.S. stocks rose on Thursday on the stronger-than-expected
retail sales and a fall in first-time jobless claims. The Dow
Jones industrial average <> closed up 47.38 points, or 0.46
percent.
February's monthly sales performance among U.S. retailers
was the strongest since just before the recession started in
2007. The United States reported that first-time claims for
jobless benefits fell by 29,000 to a seasonally adjusted
469,000 in the latest week. [] []
The non-farm payrolls report, due at 1330 GMT, is expected
to show a loss of 50,000 jobs in February, compared with 20,000
job cuts in January, a Reuters poll shows.
"Greece worries continue and with investors still cautious
about risk, I would have a bias towards the U.S. dollar ahead
of the payrolls data," said Jonathan Cavenagh, currency
strategist at Westpac.
Spot gold <XAU=> traded at $1,134.10 an ounce, up from New
York's close. Volume was thin ahead of the U.S. payrolls data
with key resistance seen at a January high of around $1,150.
"We don't know where to head to," said Ronald Leung,
director of Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong. "...Overall,
people are still expecting further rises in gold."
Crude <CLc1> edged higher, capping two consecutive weeks of
trading above $80, after China signalled it would maintain its
economic stimulus, rekindling hopes for accelerating growth to
drain excess oil supplies. []
(Additional reporting by Anirban Nag in Sydney, Daniel
Bases in New York, Lewa Pardomuan in Singapore and Aiko Hayashi
in Tokyo; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
