The Week Ahead...

Despite the fact that the attitude has remained cautious ahead of data on U.S. jobs and inflation that might determine whether interest rates need to increase again, Asian equities rose on Monday as China announced additional steps to bolster its struggling markets.

As part of its latest effort to revive the ailing market, Beijing said on Sunday that it will cut the stamp fee on stock trading in half. 37 retail funds were able to begin thanks to approval from China's securities regulator.

Given that earnings at Chinese industrial companies fell 6.7% in July from a year earlier, extending this year's fall to a seventh month, assistance was required.

Chinese blue chips rose 1.5% in turbulent trade, off their lows for the year, as investors welcomed whatever help they could get.

All eyes are now on the official PMI for August, which will be released on Thursday and is still anticipated to suggest activity is declining.

Over in the US, after a mixed week for the main benchmark averages and increasing bond yields, U.S. stock futures were trading higher on Sunday night, as Jerome Powell's remarks from the Federal Reserve suggested that officials are prepared to hike rates further to battle inflation concerns.

The CB consumer confidence, JOLTs job openings, ADP employment change, preliminary GDP figures, pending home sales, the core PCE price index, average hourly wages, nonfarm payrolls, and the ISM manufacturing PMI will all be watched closely by investors in the coming week.

Futures indicate a roughly 80% likelihood of a stable result at the meeting on 20 September but a 58% likelihood of an increase by year's end.

However, a lot will rely on the flow of American data, which was strong until a recent wave of factory surveys indicated a slowdown both domestically and internationally.

Much will rely on the flow of American data, which was strong until a recent wave of factory surveys suggested a slowdown both domestically and internationally.

The median predictions are for an increase in payrolls of 170,000 and a stable unemployment rate of 3.5% in August.

The entertainment sector strike in Hollywood, according to JPMorgan analysts, might dampen employment growth, and they predict a rise of only 125,000.

The European Central Bank's decision to raise interest rates next month may also be significantly influenced by data on EU inflation released this week.

The market is evenly divided on whether the current interest rate of 3.75% will increase again, despite ECB President Christine Lagarde's emphasis on the necessity for tight policy on Friday.

(Sources: investing.com, reuters.com)