Oil prices rose Wednesday after an upswing in China's trade for April restored hopes that the world's second-largest economy was strengthening.

Japanese stocks outperformed all others Tuesday as traders in the country returned from a public holiday in buoyant mood, sending the Nikkei index above 14,000 for the first time in nearly five years.

The euro was under pressure in Asian trade Tuesday, weighed by a European Central Bank interest rate cut and poor data from the eurozone.

The price of oil edged lower Tuesday as fears eased of Israeli involvement in Syria's civil war.

Asian markets rose Monday after a strong U.S. jobs report revived optimism over the U.S. economic recovery and drove Wall Street to record highs.

The euro rose against the dollar in Asian trade Monday as a better-than-expected U.S. April jobs report boosted hopes of resurgent growth in the world's biggest economy, analysts said.

Oil was up in Asian trade Monday after an upbeat U.S. jobs report bolstered confidence the U.S. economic recovery is on track.

Rio Tinto chief Sam Walsh on Sunday warned of more job cuts as the mining giant works to make US$5 billion in savings by the end of 2014, but he was upbeat about demand for iron ore from China.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is facing a funding crunch as the multilateral lending agency seeks to reduce widespread poverty in emerging market nations and boost infrastructure, India warned Saturday.

A rally in global share markets halted on Friday as investors braced for monthly jobs data from the United States.