Emerging Markets-EM Stocks Mixed, Currencies Firm as Bond Rout Eases Ahead of Payrolls

South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 gained 0.3%, with losses in heavyweight chipmakers Samsung Electronics 005930.KS and SK Hynix 000660.KS limiting gains. Peer Taiwan TWII lost 0.7%. The broader MSCI EM index .MSCIEF added 0.2%. Crude prices edged higher and remained over $95/barrel as investors weighed the uncertainty of renewed military strikes between the U.S. and Iran that risk disrupting supplies from the Middle East.O/R "The oil price and the cost of energy is probably the bigger thing at the moment," said Katy Stoves, investment manager at Mattioli Woods. "Countries that are reliant on it could be in for a bit of a shock." The U.S. dollar index =USD dipped 0.3%, easing pressure on emerging market currencies, while MSCI's corresponding currency gauge .MIEM00000CUS gained 0.3%. The Korean won KRW=KFTC extended its climb, up 0.2%, and hovered near its strongest level in 14 months. China's services activity expanded at a faster pace in August, a private-sector survey showed, with stronger domestic demand helping firms add staff for a fourth consecutive month. Local stocks .SSEC, .CSI300 were muted while the yuan CNY=CFXS firmed, hovering near more than three-year highs. In Turkey, the local equities .XU100 were down 0.8% after consumer price inflation rose to 1.84% month-on-month in August, just below expectations, while the annual figure was 31.51%. The lira TRYTOM=D4 traded flat. In South Africa, the benchmark stock index jumped 1%, tracking higher gold prices, as the country is one of the world's major exporters of the precious metal. The South African rand ZAR=, however, was little changed. Central and Eastern European currencies appreciated against the euro. However, Hungary's forint EURHUF= dropped 0.2%, though it remained the region's best-performing currency so far in 2026. Equities were trading higher with bourses in Warsaw .WIG, Budapest .BUX and Bucharest .BETI rising 0.2%, 1.3% and 0.8%, respectively. Emerging market stocks were mixed on Thursday and currencies were stronger against the U.S. dollar, while a selloff in global bonds eased, as investors awaited a crucial U.S. jobs report for clues on the Federal Reserve's next policy moves. Global bonds recovered on Thursday after yields surged in the past few sessions on concerns over higher borrowing costs, rising inflationary pressures and ballooning government debt. The rise in bonds comes as investors also shifted their focus to the U.S. payrolls report on Friday, which could help determine if the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates at its meeting later this month.

Emerging Markets-EM Stocks Mixed, Currencies Firm as Bond Rout Eases Ahead of Payrolls

Asian markets and commodities were uneven

Dollar eases, helping emerging market currencies

Turkey, South Africa and Central Europe markets move

Emerging market stocks and currencies steady ahead of U.S. jobs data

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