By Ankur Banerjee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Asian stocks edged higher while the dollar lurked near five-week lows and gold climbed to a record high on Tuesday, as investors girded for a slate of economic data this week, including the crucial U.S. labour report on Friday.

Markets widely expect the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates later this month, pricing in an 89% chance of a 25 basis point cut, but data this week will help investors gauge whether the central bank could perhaps lean toward a jumbo cut.

The focus will be on Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which will be preceded by data on job openings and private payrolls, providing investors and the Fed a clearer picture of the labour market that has become the centre of policy debate.

“While an outsized 50 bps rate cut in Sep

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