Brent oil jumped $1.82, or 2.4%, to $77.95 a barrel, while U.S. crude climbed $1.77, or 2.4%, to $73.51. Oil prices have recently come under pressure amid heightened concerns about China's slowing economic recovery.
The U.S. Senate is on track to pass a bill to lift the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling late on Thursday in Washington, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, after the House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday.
The dollar sagged to a one-week low versus the yen and hung close to Wednesday's more-than-two-month trough to the euro after Federal Reserve officials including Governor and vice chair nominee Philip Jefferson pointed to a rate hike "skip" at the June 13-14 policy meeting.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1% in early trade and is down 2.4% in a month where hopes for robust Chinese rebound have run dry.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4% early Tuesday, after U.S. stocks were closed on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. The index is down 1.3% so far this month.
After weeks of negotiations, McCarthy and Biden forged a agreement late on Saturday to avert an economically destabilising default to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until 2025. The deal will now have to passes through the narrowly divided Congress.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan drifted 0.3% higher in trade thinned by a holiday in Hong Kong. The index is down 1.6% on the week.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.56% to a two-month low of 505.35, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.78%. Japan's Nikkei remained an outlier for the region, gaining 0.32%.
The U.S. dollar - paradoxically - remained elevated amid safe-haven demand, which was also a driver of Treasuries and pushed yields lower.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan touched its highest since May 9, and was up about 0.3% by mid-morning. Japan's Nikkei extended its winning streak into a ninth session and rose 0.6%.
U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet to discuss the debt ceiling on Monday, less than two weeks before the June 1 deadline after which Treasury expects the federal government will struggle to pay its debts.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.20% but was set to eke out a gain of 0.19% for the week.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.20% lower, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.56%. The Shanghai Composite Index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased 0.4%, dragged by China data showing a wobbly post-COVID recovery.
Expectations that the dollar will soften also cushioned emerging markets, although investors were wary of crucial U.S. government debt-ceiling negotiations, with a little more than two weeks to go before the government could run short of money to pay its bills.
Early action was sluggish following a report on Friday showed U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to a six-month low in May and long-term inflation expectations jumped to the highest since 2011, boosting the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.2% and was headed for a weekly decline of 0.8%, weighed lower by a slew of data from China that pointed to a sluggish economic recovery after the lift of COVID lockdowns.
The Labor Department's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.9% in April from a year ago, compared with expectations of a 5% increase, raising hopes that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hiking cycle is close to an end. Month-over-month CPI in April rose 0.4% after gaining 0.1% in March.
Friday's robust U.S. payrolls report has already delivered a setback to easing hopes and any upside surprise on consumer prices would challenge bets for a rate cut as soon as September.
Another U.S. regional bank, PacWest Bancorp, reported troubles overnight, reminding investors of the precarious health of some banks despite regulators' assurances around containing the crisis that started with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March.
The overnight sale of First Republic Bank's assets to JPMorgan Chase resolved the third U.S. bank failure in two months. Treasury yields rose in response and expectations firmed to near certain for one final U.S. rate hike this week.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.94% higher but remained on course to end the month 1.4% lower. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.51% while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index gained 0.33%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan were 0.3% lower on Thursday, while Japan's Nikkei lost 0.4%. China's blue chips were flat, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slid 0.3%.
India’s hottest February in more than a century, following a spike in cattle deaths caused by a viral skin disease, fuelled a rare drop in dairy production in the world’s largest milk-producing nation
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.7% by 0220 GMT. Hong Kong's benchmark edged down 1.2%, while mainland stocks lost 0.7%.
Early action was sluggish in the wake of Friday's surprisingly strong surveys of business activity which reinforced the case for higher interest rates.