Asia stocks edge up ahead of key US jobs data

Asian stocks squeezed higher on Friday but gains were tentative ahead of all-important U.S. jobs data that tends to swing markets.
There was no missing the sombre mood ahead of the employment report at 1230 GMT which will add to the debate on whether the U.S. economy is headed for a second recession.
Surprisingly strong U.S. manufacturing data earlier this week dispelled some gloom about faltering growth, but investors were far from convinced all was well.
"It would have to be a big negative surprise to derail sentiment," said Tim Condon, the head of research at ING in Singapore, of the jobs data. "We think investors are braced for a negative payrolls surprise."
The MSCI Asian stock index outside Japan edged up just 0.3%. In Japan, stocks rose 0.4%, with exporters among the best performers. Canon Inc rose 1.3% and Sony Corp added 2.1%.
The U.S. labour market is forecast to have shed 100,000 jobs in August as the jobless rate crept higher to 9.6%.
As always, a bad outcome would likely hammer assets deemed dependent on strong economic growth, such as stocks and commodities, whilst boosting government bonds.
Underscoring angst about the U.S. economy, traditional safe-haven currencies were clinging to recent peaks, while U.S. Treasury yields edged lower.
The yen was locked near a 15-year high against the dollar, while the Swiss franc flew near a record on the euro.