Asian stocks fell with U.S. equity index futures and the yen strengthened after a sudden plunge in the pound spooked investors ahead of American payrolls data that may bolster the case for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index pared its weekly advance as futures on the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index rallied. The pound tumbled as much as 6.1 percent versus the greenback, its biggest intra-day slide since Brexit, before recovering most of the loss amid speculation automated trades may have been a factor.
