Thanks for joining me. Hong Kong led another rally across Asian markets thanks to a surge in tech giants, putting it on course for its strongest run since 2018.
The Hang Seng was the standout performer overnight thanks to buying of heavyweights including Alibaba and JD.com.
5 things to start your day
1) Apple suffers biggest iPhone sales slump in three years | Decline comes as Chinese shoppers turn their back on the tech company
2) Inflation crisis was fuelled by economic groupthink, says Lord Mervyn King | Former Bank of England Governor blames 40-year-high CPI on lack of dissenting voices
3) Oil boss accused of driving up petrol prices by colluding with rivals | Leading US energy executive barred from ExxonMobil board over alleged Opec collaboration
4) How Barclays became a lightning rod for Gaza activists | After bowing to pressure from climate protesters, the bank is facing a fresh wave of accusations
5) Annabel Denham: Angela Rayner’s humiliation is a rare gift to Britain | Labour’s decision to water down its workers’ rights plan proves it was never needed in the first place
What happened overnight
Asian shares were mostly higher ahead of a report on the US jobs market, while several major markets including Tokyo and Shanghai were closed for holidays.
The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the US dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention.
The financial newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that estimates showed the…
