Global Market Today: Shares edge higher in Asia as oil dips, earnings loom

Asian shares edged higher as oil prices slipped to near four-month lows, with Brent down 0.6 percent to 71.70 dollars a barrel after OPEC+ agreed to raise output targets by 188,000 barrels per day from August. Softer US payrolls data prompted markets to scale back near-term Federal Reserve rate hike expectations, with futures now implying a 78 percent chance of a steady outcome at the July 29 meeting. Investors are also turning attention to the looming global earnings season, with Samsung Electronics expected to post an 18-fold jump in quarterly profit driven by AI-driven chip demand.