Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian stocks rose as technology shares rallied and a subdued US inflation report eased concerns about an imminent interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Brent crude snapped a six-day rally, while attention was also on the yen as it traded around the key level of 160 per dollar, keeping investors on the lookout for more intervention by officials in the foreign-exchange market. We speak with Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg News MLIV Strategist. 

Plus - caution prevailed after Cisco Systems’ earnings failed to impress, sending its shares lower in extended trading. Cerebras Systems tumbled 17% after sales declined at its hardware business. For more on the state of the AI trade, we hear from Arun Sai, Senior Multi Asset Strategist at Pictet Asset Management.