SYDNEY, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Asian shares bounced on Monday as a wave of bargain hunting swept beaten-down markets and China reported no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases for the first time since July, though the mood remained brittle overall.

TOKYO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Japan's factory activity growth slowed in August, while that of the services sector shrank at the fastest pace since May last year, highlighting the increasingly heavy toll a recent wave of COVID-19 infections is taking on the economy.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices reversed out of a seven-day losing stretch on Monday as investors punted on crude at bargain levels, though lingering fears over how a surge in globalCOVID-19 cases might affect fuel demand combined with a firmer U.S. dollar to limit gains.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The safe-haven dollar traded near its highest in more than nine months against major peers on Monday, while commodity currencies like the Aussie languished amid worries that the Delta coronavirus variant could derail the global economic recovery.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth for the second quarter is likely to be revised higher following a recent raft of stronger than initially thought data covering that period, which reflected the economy’s reopening amid improved public health.

HONG KONG, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Asian shares extended losses on Friday from the 2021 low set a day earlier, while the dollar held onto its recent gains sitting at a nine-month high.