Toyota, Asia biggest automaker, advanced 2 percent after sliding in the previous eight trading sessions amid slower U.S. hiring and renewed concern Europe’s debt crisis is worsening. Hitachi Construction Machinery Co, a Japanese machinery maker that gets 26 percent of its sales in China, gained 2.1 percent before China reports trade data today. BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest miner, dropped 1.1 percent as crude prices fell and Australia’s markets reopened after a four-day weekend.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (CRY) was little changed at 124.14 as of 9:28 a.m. in Tokyo before trading started in Hong Kong, with about two shares rising for each that fell. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 0.5 percent, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.1 percent.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPXL1) added 0.1 percent today. The index slid 1.1 percent in New York yesterday after a report last week showed U.S. employers in March added the fewest jobs in five months.

Japanese exporters gained as the yen retreated from a one- month high against the dollar. The yen reached 80.20 against the greenback yesterday, the highest level since March 8. A stronger yen cuts the value of overseas earnings at Japanese exporters when repatriated.

Crude Slips

Crude oil for May delivery fell 85 cents to settle at $102.46 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Thomson Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index (CRY) of raw materials fell 0.5 percent yesterday.

The Bank of Japan concludes a meeting on interest-rate policy today. Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his colleagues may expand the bank’s asset purchases at a meeting on April 27 when inflation data becomes available, according to Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Mizuho Securities Co. and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

China’s trade deficit narrowed to $3.15 billion in March from $31.48 billion in February, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg ahead of a report today.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jason Clenfield in Tokyo at jclenfield@bloomberg.net; Yoshiaki Nohara in Tokyo at ynohara1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Gentle at ngentle2@bloomberg.net

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-10/asia-stocks-swing-between-gains-losses-exporters-gain.html

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