Asia shares brace for US inflation, euro up on ECB bets

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.1%, while Japan's Nikkei .N225 eased 0.3%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures both edged up 0.1%.

SYDNEY: Asian shares made a muted start on Monday as caution gripped ahead of a critical reading on U.S. inflation, while the euro gained on the yen amid wagers the European Central Bank will take a major step toward policy tightening this week.

Oil prices jumped in early trade after Saudi Arabia raised prices sharply for its crude sales in July, an indicator of how tight supply is even after OPEC+ agreed to accelerate its output increases over the next two months.