Asian markets cautious ahead of US jobs report

Asian markets swung between gains and losses as investors look ahead to today's US jobs report.

US May non-farm payrolls are expected to show jobs expanded by 218,000 last month, according to a Reuters poll.

Markets were buoyed by the European Central Bank's decision to cut interest rates to head off the risk of deflation. Meanwhile, US stocks closed at record highs, with the Dow and the S&P 500 advancing strongly.

Japanese shares were mixed, with Nissan Motor, Nintendo and Fanuc losing ground. Softbank slid 1.5 per cent after unveiling a humanoid robot named Pepper capable of understanding human emotions.

Chinese markets failed to make gains after reports the People's Bank of China may inject $11.7bn through money market operations.