Asian shares and bonds rallied on Thursday, while the yen held its gains as investors awaited Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report and comments from Federal Reserve officials for clues on whether the central bank will raise interest rates this month. Traders now see roughly a two-in-three chance of a 25-basis-point increase, up from 37% a week earlier, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5%, while the dollar index slipped 0.05% to 99.54. The yen strengthened 0.07% to 158.59 per dollar after surging 0.9% in the previous session. Bond yields eased from recent highs, with the U.S. 10-year yield down 0.99 basis point to 4.784% and Japan’s 30-year government bond yield falling 10 basis points to 4.065% ahead of an auction of super-long debt. Oil prices edged lower amid uncertainty over renewed U.S.-Iran military strikes, while gold and silver gained. Markets also monitored policy signals from the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan, with Japanese services growth reaching a five-month high in August.