\n\tThe analyst principally responsible for the production of this research report is: Howard Humphreys, Director & Lead Research Analyst, Seismic Research<\/p>\n
\n\tASX<\/span> reverses losses on earnings, jobs data<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe ASX<\/span> advanced today, despite a soft lead from Wall Street and falling regional markets, as a report showed Aussie employers added more workers than expected last month and Telstra ((TLS)) added 1.3% after reaffirming guidance and posting earnings that beat estimates.<\/p>\n \n\tThe ABS said that full-time employment dropped by 9,800 jobs, while part-time employment increased by 20,200, resulting in a net 10,400 gain. The participation rate also decreased (from 65.1% to 65.0%), potentially due to discouraged job seekers that stopped looking for work; consistent with evidence of falling job ads (ANZ<\/span> survey).<\/p>\n \n\tThe falling participation resulted in the unemployment rate unexpectedly remaining at 5.4%. All in all, the jobs data was mixed, with a strong headline result but some worrying underlying trends.<\/p>\n \n\tChinese stocks, meanwhile, led the rest of Asia lower today after the PBOC<\/span> signalled<\/span> its concern about inflation in a statement yesterday.<\/p>\n \n\tTo read today's report in PDF in full, see link at the top of this story.<\/p>\n