By Rae Wee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Asia stocks rose on Tuesday, buoyed by expectations of a U.S. rate cut as early as next week, even as political upheavals around the world kept currency and bond investors on edge.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2% in early trade, taking its cue from Wall Street’s positive lead overnight that saw the Nasdaq notch a record-high close.

Nasdaq futures extended the rally from the cash session and were last up 0.06%, while S&P 500 futures similarly ticked up 0.05%.

Breathing new life into the equities rally were expectations that the Federal Reserve would ease rates when it meets next week, following Friday’s dismal U.S. jobs report.

While consumer and producer price inflation data remain on deck in the week ahead, investor

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