* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Markets nervous before non-farm payrolls
* Europe stocks bear brunt of global economic woes, set for
worst
week in months
* Safe havens rise: euro-zone government bond yields fall,
gains
* Central banks struggling with response to trade friction
* Asia ex-Japan stocks headed for third weekly decline
By Josephine Mason
LONDON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Global stocks were slightly higher
on Friday, clawing back some ground lost in their worst week for
months, and safe haven assets rose ahead of a key jobs report as
investors hoped this week's dismal data would trigger more U.S.
interest rate cuts.
Trading overall was subdued after a bruising week for assets
considered riskier in times of economic and political stress
following a slew of week economic data that revealed a slowdown
in U.S. manufacturing and services.
But a fragile optimism emerged that evidence showing the
trade war has dented the world's top economy may spur U.S.
President Donald Trump towards a more conciliatory stance over
the dispute with China as campaigning for next year's election
ramps up.
It may also prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates
again.
MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS , which tracks shares
in 47 countries, eked out small gains, up slightly at 0905 GMT
and reversing earlier losses in Asia as investors looked to a
key U.S. job report that could determine whether the Federal
Reserve cuts rates further.
Taking comfort from gains on Wall Street overnight, European
bourses were all higher, with the pan European STOXX 600
.STOXX and euro-zone .STOXXE benchmark up 0.2%.
"(The) market has very quickly reversed to the 'bad news is
good news' model and rallied on increased rate cut expectation,"
said Marija Veitmane, multi-asset senior strategist at State
Street Global Markets.
Still the global index was on track for a 1.8% drop on the
week, its worst in two months, hurt by a drum roll of weak
global data, political uncertainty in the United States and Hong
Kong, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Brexit.
Europe, and in particular London's FTSE 100, has lagged the
global market, bearing the brunt of woes from a global
manufacturing recession to growing trade conflicts and
uncertainty over the Britain's exit from the European Union.
On Wednesday, Washington said it would impose 10% tariffs on
European-made Airbus planes AIR.PA and 25% duties on European
products such as French wine, as punishment for illegal EU
aircraft subsidies, opening a new front on the global trade
spat.
U.S. stock futures ESc1 were lower, signalling a weaker
open later and reversing a 0.80% increase in the S&P 500 on Wall
Street overnight on hopes that future Fed rate cuts will support
corporate profits. .N
Talks between Beijing and Washington resume next week, aimed
at agreeing a truce over the protracted trade spat between the
world's two largest economies, although hopes of a definitive
agreement are pretty low.
Global equities could fall as much as 15-20% if negotiations
break down and Trump follows through with his threat of car
imports tariffs, UBS global chief investment officer Mark
Haefele warned on Friday.
The Swiss bank reckons there's a 50% probability that
additional duties will be announced by the year-end, potentially
pushing global growth down to 3% next year, the slowest pace
since the global financial crisis.
"Without a resolution to the U.S.-China trade dispute, we
see limited upside for stocks in the near-term, and given the
risks of further escalation we hold a modest tactical
underweight on equities," he said.
SAFE HAVENS
Signs the U.S. economy was losing momentum, and nerves ahead
of key jobs numbers later in the day, sent investors into safe
haven asset such as government bonds and gold XAU= .
U.S. nonfarm payrolls data is expected to show the world's
top economy added 145,000 new jobs in September, more than an
increase of 130,000 in the previous month.
Euro-zone government bond yields were lower in early
European trading and spot gold was up 0.3%, on course for a
0.75% weekly gain. GOL/ GVD/EUR
U.S. Treasury prices fell slightly overnight but two-year
yields US2YT=RR ,which track expectations for U.S. monetary
policy, remained near the lowest in two years.
The dollar index .DXY steadied after hitting a 2-1/2-year
high this week. It was down 0.3% on the week.
Traders see a 85.2% chance the Fed will cut rates by 25
basis points to 1.75%-2.00% in October, up from 39.6% on Monday,
according to CME Group's FedWatch tool. FEDWATCH
The Fed has already cut rates twice this year as
policymakers try to limit the damage caused by the bruising
Sino-U.S. trade war.
The dollar edged down to 106.81 yen JPY=EBS , close to a
one-month low of 106.48 yen reached on Thursday. The euro
EUR=EBS was a shade higher at $1.0974, near a one-week high.
For the week, the dollar was down 1.04% versus the yen and
off 0.3% against the common currency.
U.S. crude CLc1 rose 0.3% to $52.76 a barrel, while Brent
crude LCOc1 rose 0.7% to $58.11 per barrel. For the week,
crude futures were on course for a steep decline, their worst
performance since July 19.
Historical monthly performance of U.S. stocks png https://tmsnrt.rs/2onTJUS
World PMI https://tmsnrt.rs/2OkwGVY
Global stocks https://tmsnrt.rs/2LLhPSt
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