Asian stocks up ahead of US jobs data

Asian markets extended recent gains Monday as investors awaited the release of key US jobs data at the end of the week, while Shanghai surged after China approved three private banks as part of an economic reform drive. The euro struggled to break out from multi-month lows against the dollar and yen following another weak set of data that raised concerns about the eurozone. Tokyo rose 0.47 percent by the break, Hong Kong added 0.48 percent, Shanghai gained 0.81 percent and Seoul was 0.33 percent higher while Sydney was flat. Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are closed for public holidays. With few catalysts to push regional buying, dealers were looking ahead to Friday's July non-farm payrolls figures out of Washington. With last month's report coming in well above forecasts there are hopes for another strong set of figures as the US economy picks up strength. Wall Street ended last week on a low owing to disappointing earnings results, including from Amazon. The Dow slipped 0.72 percent and the S&P 500 dropped 0.48 percent after two straight record closes, while the Nasdaq lost 0.50 percent, according to AFP.